Levindale plots $32M upgrade to city campus - Baltimore Business Journal:

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The Baltimore nursing home facility and chroniccare hospital, part of , filed its expansionh plans with the state in June. If approverd construction on a three-storyg patient tower and new lobbg could begin by January 2009 on its West Belvederr Avenue campusnear . The project will add privatse patient roomsand bathrooms, a sharedf kitchen and a community-style living room for residents. Each floor will housee about 28 residents in settings similar toa single-familyy house. The rooms, lobby and commomn areas will also feature wirelessInternet access. The new lobby will also house art exhibits.
"Whenj aging baby boomers need assisted living, they aren'r going to want the old shared room and sharedbathroom model," said Aric vice president of operations for Levindale. "Thety are going to want something that resembleds theirown home." The facility currentlyt has a mix of private and shared patienyt rooms with roughly 172 nursing care beds. The site also has aboutr 120 chronic care hospital beds for elderlty or disabled patients that need more extensivermedical care. The project, whicyh could be open by 2010, is part of a larger expansion to expand the nursing home to240 beds.
He said Levindale had considered building the new project on the former Rosewood Center campux inBaltimore County. But the cost of constructing roadds and sewer systems to serve the site wastoo much, Spitulni said. Nearly 70,000 Maryland residentss were living in nursing home facilities across the statrin 2006, according to figurews released by the Maryland Health Care State health leaders say Maryland will need to add 318 new nursint home beds statewide -- including 65 new beds in Baltimorw -- by 2011 to meet the growt h of long-term care demands.