As part of a $217 million project, Mayo Clinic will relocate and upgrade its cardiac surgery facilities. The board of trustees approved the plans, which in addition to giving the cardiac facilities a facelift, will also expand and modernize its Saint Marys Campus in Rochester, Minnesota, where the health system is based, according to a March 9 press release.

Both projects will address the needs of an increasingly complex and growing patient population, while encouraging innovative practice in a safe, efficient and affordable manner.

“These enhancements further Mayo Clinic’s mission of advancing the practice by investing in our facilities to help ensure we provide the best possible care for our patients,” said C. Michael Harper, MD, the executive dean for practice at Mayo Clinic, in a statement. “The improvement of our facilities is a natural extension of Mayo Clinic’s efforts to provide both a modern and coordinated health care environment.”

The initiatives are scheduled to begin this year and will be completed within the next five years. Upgrades to the cardiac facilities include an additional 36,000 square feet with 11 larger, more efficient operating rooms, two shelled operation rooms and 13 preoperative and postoperative spaces.

“Mayo Clinic continues to grow along with the needs and volume of our patient population. Providing the best care means having access to world-class facilities and technologies,” said Robert Cima, MD, medical director of Mayo Clinic Hospital Operations, in a statement. “These improvements to Cardiac Surgery facilities are an investment in patient care and reflect Mayo Clinic’s standing as a global destination for health care.”

In addition to enhancing its spaces in Rochester, Mayo Clinic has invested $70.5 million in its Jacksonville, Florida, campus, which is slated to be completed in 2019. Mayo is also expanding surgical suites at its Mankato, Minnesota, location.