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The $450 million, 650,000-square-foot building features 180 all-private rooms with private bathrooms. The hospital's total number of licensed beds remains at 305. It also has a new expanded emergency department that at 48,530 square feet is more than double the old one.
Stamford Health President and CEO Brian Grissler said it will still offer a "healing environment" for the community.
"They have a first-class facility where our staff will care for them in an absolutely wonderful healing environment," he said. "I think it is great for the community, and the staff are really embracing the technology and the environment and bringing their skills to bear in caring for our community."
The new building has a total of 13 floors and includes a helipad.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Silard, said the only things left to open in the new hospital are a new gift shop and coffee shop, which are coming soon.
"We are really offering top rate medical care to this community in a spectacular, warm and caring environment," she said. "We already have the highest level of nursing care, we are a magnet organization and we have been able to recruit the best and most talented physicians to operate and provide care in this facility."
The emergency department opened at 7 a.m. Monday and the first patient arrived at 7:20 a.m. Silard said. The patient was treated and released, she said.
The money for the project was raised through bonding and fundraising and also used existing cash from operations, Silard said. It was a good time to borrow with the low interest rates, she said. Construction costs were also reasonable, she said.
"I think it was a good time to build, as well, we had advantageous pricing on the construction and we are slightly under budget," she said. "We are very proud of it."
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