The Jefferson Healthcare Medical Center on Sheridan Street in Port Townsend recently entered the next phase of its facility’s development, as confirmed by Daniel Schafer, director of marketing and communications for Jefferson Healthcare.

Schafer explained that, from Jan. 8 to Feb. 12, 21 of the medical center’s parking spaces in its primary public lot were unavailable due to construction crews working to tie in new sewer and stormwater lines in that area.As of Feb. 12, Schafer said 11 of the 21 spots were cleared for use and are now available, while all of the remaining 10 affected parking spaces are along the east side of the main parking lot.

“The vast majority of the spaces that are unavailable now are in the southeast corner of the main parking lot,” Schafer said. “Originally, those spaces were being used as a staging area for the demolition contractor. That area provided crews with space for equipment, and also accommodated other needs.”

Schafer noted that the demolition contractor removed its equipment on Feb. 16, but also acknowledged that there is currently no timeline for those spots to be made available again, for a couple of reasons.

“The construction company is using this space to make it easier for construction equipment to access the site,” Schafer said. “Also, when the project is complete, the southeast corner of the main parking lot will be the entrance of a new parking lot. For this reason, significant work will be done in that area to reshape that part of the lot.”While approximately 10 spaces are likely to remain unavailable for the foreseeable future, Schafer pointed out that the main parking lot does still have 80 spots available for patients.The week of Feb. 12-16 also saw mass demolition of the old 1965 building completed, although Schafer said that “some selective demolition” remains.

“The contractor we are working with, Abbott Construction, informed us that mass general demolition and debris removal was complete as of the week of Feb. 12,” Schafer said. “The two types of demolition can be described as mass demolition and selective demolition. Mass demolition involves removing large sections of the building, while selective demolition involves the removal of smaller portions of the structure. It’s my understanding that the selective demolition is very near completion.”

Overall, Schafer cited the medical center’s construction as stemming from “a great demand” for medical care in East Jefferson County, “and we want to ensure we are providing the care that’s needed, in the communities we serve.”

Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn has already stated that, with its new building, Jefferson Healthcare is “looking forward to providing several new service lines,” which he expects will make it easier for patients to access specialty services in East Jefferson County.

“Among the new services that will be available at Jefferson Healthcare is radiation oncology, representing a significant milestone for East Jefferson County,” Glenn said. “We have been providing chemotherapy for quite some time. However, as many as half of the cancer cases that we see require both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. By providing both on our campus, we will be equipped to truly meet the needs of the communities we serve.”

In addition to offering radiation oncology, Jefferson Healthcare’s new service lines will include neurology, pulmonology, ear-nose-and-throat, and state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery suites.