ROCKPORT — Construction work that will nearly double the size of the Emergency Department (ED) at Pen Bay Medical Center will enter its final phase on Monday, March 25. The project, which will add 11 additional exam rooms when completed, is expected to wrap up this summer.

To accommodate work that needs to be done in the coming months, the hospital will be rerouting ambulances to the rear entrance of the Emergency Department. Hospital officials have worked with ambulance operators to ensure a smooth transition.

In addition, the patient entrance to the Emergency Department will be temporarily relocated later this spring while a new awning is built over the ED’s main entrance. Details will be shared with the community before change over occurs, according to PBMC, in a news release.

“The ED expansion is necessary for several reasons, including advancements in emergency medicine that require more equipment and time but also lead to better outcomes for patients, especially those suffering a stroke or heart attack,” said PBMC. “There has also been a significant increase in the severity of cases requiring emergency care in recent years, as well as an increase in behavioral health cases.”

The Emergency Department upgrade was largely funded by the Campaign for Coastal Health, a $21.5 million capital campaign that also funded the construction of the new Beebe Health Center on the PBMC campus.

Pen Bay Medical Center is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,600 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With more than 19,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit pbmc.org.