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Dear UVA Health Team Members,

As UVA Health continues on its mission to transform health and inspire hope for all Virginians and beyond, expanding capacity and offering greater access to our services for the patients, families, and communities we serve statewide remains a core element of our 10-year strategic plan. 

It’s for this reason that an extensive analysis of our South Tower was recently conducted to inform how best to care for the growing needs and complexity of our patients. Now that this study has concluded, we are ready to share the long-term vision for this facility, which involves expanding across floors 6, 7, and 8 — a project expected to last through 2028. Once fully constructed, our spaces will be allocated accordingly:

• 6th Floor: Dedicated to Oncology. Today, patients come from all over Virginia to receive the latest in innovative cancer treatments, a hallmark of being the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia. To accommodate our patients, the floor will be designed to treat patients receiving cellular therapy, while also being able to support universal oncology (e.g., acute, intermediate, and ICU care), flexing based on the needs of our patients. The result will be 29 beds committed to this service line. Please note that once the 6th floor of the South Tower is ready, bone marrow transplant will shift from its current location in 8 West.

• 7th Floor: Dedicated to Universal Beds. Over the coming years, we will continue to monitor the needs of our patients (including in our ICU) and commit universal beds to areas that support those needs. Once built out, this floor will be able to accommodate 29 new beds.

• 8th Floor: Dedicated to the expansion of our NICU. As the #1 children’s hospital in Virginia, this expansion will further position UVA Health to provide greater women’s and children’s services across our communities by adding approximately 47 bassinets to our current capacity. This expansion also will equip all beds with state-of-the-art technology, including UVA Health Children’s most advanced AI and predictive modeling systems for patient monitoring and risk assessment.

• Later Phases: Dedicated to expanding our children’s service. Once floors 6-8 of the South Tower are constructed and units have moved into that space, beds from other areas of the hospital — including 8 North, 8 West and 7 North — will be shifted to support our PICU. This will represent an enormous expansion of our children’s services.

We acknowledge that these are ambitious plans and befitting of the growth of our University Medical Center. Our journey toward expanding the South Tower is only beginning and we are excited to have a roadmap to accomplish our vision for even greater patient care. Once construction is complete, our University Medical Center will be further positioned as a premier destination to care for all patients in Virginia — no patient will need to leave Virginia to receive expert care.

Thank you to everyone who participated and provided feedback during our recent capacity analysis and for all of your future support in bringing this important expansion to life. If you have questions about this project, please read through the below FAQs. Moving forward, please know you have our commitment to keep you engaged and up-to-date on our progress — from “groundbreaking” to construction to opening our expanded floors in 2028. We are so grateful for all you do for our patients and for each other. 

Most sincerely, 

Wendy Horton, PharmD, MBA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
UVA Health University Medical Center
Chief Operating Officer, UVA Health

Min Lee, MBA, MHA
Chief Operating Officer
UVA Health University Medical Center

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the South Tower Expansion?

Located within UVA Health’s University Hospital is the South Tower, an eight-story building that serves as a hub for clinical operations across our University Hospital. Over the last several years, this building has gone through a series of upgrades and renovations that have added new operating rooms, new emergency department, and new bed space for patients seeking care. Since the building was first constructed, floors 6-8 have remained shelled. Now, over the coming years, we are planning to build out and expand our services across these remaining floors to get the full use of our available space. This project will be known as our South Tower Expansion.

How will floors 6, 7, and 8 be used?

Once fully constructed, this space will be allocated accordingly:

• 6th Floor: Dedicated to Oncology. Today, patients come from all over Virginia to receive the latest in innovative cancer treatments, a hallmark of being the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia. To accommodate our patients, the floor will be designed to treat patients receiving cellular therapy, while also being able to support universal oncology (e.g., acute, intermediate, and ICU care), flexing based on the needs of our patients. The result will be 29 beds committed to this service line. Please note that once the 6th floor of the South Tower is ready, bone marrow transplant will shift from its current location in 8 West.

• 7th Floor: Dedicated to Universal Beds. Over the coming years, we will continue to monitor the needs of our patients (including in our ICU) and commit universal beds to areas that support those needs. Once built out, this floor will be able to accommodate 29 new beds.

• 8th Floor: Dedicated to the expansion of our NICU. As the #1 children’s hospital in Virginia, this expansion will further position UVA Health to provide greater women’s and children’s services across our communities by adding approximately 47 bassinets to our current capacity. This expansion also will equip all beds with state-of-the-art technology, including UVA Health Children’s most advanced AI and predictive modeling systems for patient monitoring and risk assessment.

How did we determine the plan for floors 6, 7, and 8?

To complete this work, UVA Health conducted a feasibility study on accommodating the needs for both adults and children. Our plan was developed following an extensive analysis, which informed how best to care for the growing needs and complexity of our patients. This involved reviewing an extensive amount of patient volume data and care delivery trends, as well as one-on-one interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders. 

How long is this project going to take?

At this time, we are anticipating the South Tower Expansion to be completed in 2028.

What is a universal bed?

As defined by UVA Health for this project, a universal bed is simply a bed that will be allocated to a specialty (e.g., heart and vascular, neurosciences, etc.) based on which services have the greatest patient need, as well as other strategic priorities. Universal beds also may support our ability to provide additional beds for acute, intermediate, and ICU needs.

How will we determine which service lines get universal beds?

Over the coming years as we expand our South Tower, we will monitor patient needs and strategic priorities, and commit universal beds to areas that support those needs.

Are there any other projects planned after the South Tower is expanded?

Once floors 6-8 of the South Tower are constructed, and units have moved into that space, beds from other areas of the hospital — including 8 North, 8 West and 7 North — will be shifted to support our PICU. This will represent an enormous expansion of our children’s services.

Why are we expanding both our NICU and PICU?

Every month, on average, our neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (NICU and PICU) must turn away one of every five patients in need. Our top priority is expanding and enhancing the NICU and PICU so every Virginia family facing a complex pediatric clinical need, no matter where they live, can access the best possible care for their children. As the #1 children’s hospital in Virginia, this expansion will further position UVA Health to meet the needs for its women’s and children’s services.

Why are we dedicating more beds to oncology?

Today, patients come from all over Virginia to receive the latest in innovative cancer treatments, a hallmark of being the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia. At this time, we are not always positioned to meet the needs for these services, so we are committing more bed space to support universal oncology (e.g., acute, intermediate, and ICU care), flexing based on the needs of our patients. 

What are our plans for staffing the additional floors?

At this time, we are studying the impact of this expansion and making our staffing plans accordingly. Plans are being formulated and we will sure to communicate any additional changes as they are identified.

How will the South Tower expansion benefit the surrounding community in terms of job opportunities?

The South Tower expansion is not only an investment in our University Medical Center but also a significant opportunity for the surrounding community. By creating new roles across various departments, this project will provide employment opportunities for local residents, supporting economic growth in the area. UVA Health is committed to working with community organizations and local educational institutions to attract and train a diverse workforce, ensuring our expansion benefits the community as a whole. We are excited to welcome new team members from the surrounding area who will contribute to our mission of transforming health.

Who can I go to with questions?

Please route any questions you may have to your leader and/or supervisor. In addition, feel free to send questions to AskMeAnything@uvahealth.org, which is monitored daily for questions submitted by our team members.