Work starts on $332M Maine hospital

On the outskirts of Augusta on Friday, officials from the MaineGeneral Health system will break ground on a brand new $322 million hospital. The 192-bed facility is scheduled to open in 2014 and will replace three smaller, aging MaineGeneral hospitals in the region — the Thayer and Seton facilities in Waterville and the former Augusta General Hospital in Augusta. The new hospital will feature all private inpatient rooms,10 operating rooms, and the latest in imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. The MaineGeneral project is funded through a $35 million donation from the Harold Alfond Foundation and more than $280 million in 30-year bonds sold through the Maine Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority. It won the approval of the state's Certificate of Need office in November 2010. It is expected to open in June of 2014.