Summer heat isn’t slowing progress on expansion of the neonatal unit for preterm babies at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus in Glendale.

Construction workers are keeping cool with the help of big fans and plenty of cold water as new hospital rooms are taking shape.

The 8,500 square foot expansion will add new rooms and perinatal care areas to the hospital’s second floor to increase the department’s size from 21 to 35 beds. The $14 million project is expected to be complete late this year.

A walk through the new addition shows framing for patient rooms and other areas in place, with insulation and drywall installation in progress. Tradesmen are connecting plumbing for water, oxygen, medical gases and HVAC, as well as completing other phases of work.

“It’s very exciting to see the project coming together,” Abrazo Arrowhead Campus CEO Stephen Garner shared in a news release. “The interior framing and drywall are really starting to give a feel of the new neonatal rooms, and we can now see where the new unit will connect to the existing neonatal department.”

Abrazo Arrowhead Campus is a destination for maternity care, including higher risk pregnancies. More than 3,500 babies, including high order multiple births like triplets, are born every year at the Glendale campus.

Large fans circulate air to keep construction workers cool at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus.

(Photo courtesy Abrazo Arrowhead Campus)