Stillwater, MN, hospital expansion on hold

A Stillwater, MN, hospital's expansion is on hold until the economy improves, as its leaders have decided to wait until January or February to ask the city council to approve the first two phases of their plans. Construction cost estimates for the four-phase project now are about 15 percent higher than expected, said Jeff Robertson, CEO of Lakeview Health System, the hospital's parent company. In addition, some indicators throughout the healthcare industry suggest a slight slowdown in the number of people who have elective surgeries, Robertson said.