With construction set to begin in just a few weeks, St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor is on track to begin providing lifesaving emergency care and a broad range of medical and surgical services in early 2009.

St. Anthony Hospital will be on quiet, landscaped acreage at Canterwood Boulevard and Burnham Drive in Gig Harbor North, with easy access to and from nearby Highway 16.

“With a planned opening in early 2009, the vision for St. Anthony Hospital and its lifesaving medical services is becoming a reality,” says Joe Wilczek, president and chief executive officer of the Franciscan Health System, which is constructing the 80-bed hospital. “We look forward to building a state-of-the-art hospital that the community will depend on for generations and will be proud to call its own.”

Some design elements of the 217,000-square-foot hospital have been inspired by Gig Harbor’s maritime heritage. For example, an exterior architectural column topped by an illuminated cross at the main entrance suggests a lighthouse. A stylish glass canopy over the drive-up passenger drop-off area was influenced by the curvature of a ship’s hull.

Inside, wave-like wall and ceiling features pay tribute to the healing power of water.

Soothing colors and natural materials like slate and wood figure prominently in the design of St. Anthony Hospital and its adjacent medical office building.

Parking spaces for about 700 vehicles will be part of the campus.

Named for St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of sailors and fishermen, the hospital will have an indoor chapel for use by people of all faiths. Outside, a magnificent healing garden and water feature will comprise a peaceful focal point visible from inside the spacious and comfortable lobby, the cafeteria, hospital public areas and the medical office building. The cafeteria seating area will open to a patio for patients, visitors and staff to enjoy the peaceful garden environment as weather permits.