A 38,000-square-foot, two-story addition is rising next to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, part of a $113 million overhaul that will roughly double the emergency department's capacity to 54 beds. The project includes four rapid triage bays, two trauma rooms, a rooftop helipad and a secure 12-bed behavioral health unit designed for patients in psychiatric crisis.
The scale and price tag of the expansion were detailed by sturdyhealth.org, which described the new facility as doubling current capacity with 54 beds, including four rapid triage bays and two trauma rooms, plus a dedicated imaging and CT suite. Construction is being handled by Consigli Construction, according to the seed reporting in The Sun Chronicle.
Why the Emergency Department Needed More Room
The project will expand Sturdy's emergency department. Hospital leadership has said the health system will keep emergency services running throughout construction rather than pausing care.
The new wing will include dedicated X-ray and CT rooms, the station's report notes.
A 12-Bed Unit Built for Psychiatric Crisis Care
The behavioral health unit will have 12 beds, and the emergency department will have 54 beds overall.
The Statewide Strain Behind the Push for More Beds
Sturdy's investment lands amid a broader squeeze on psychiatric capacity across Massachusetts. The share of behavioral-health patients boarding in the state's emergency departments jumped from 31.3% in 2020 to 38.8% between January and May of 2024, according to wgbh.org. Nearly half of those patients admitted for mental-health-related issues stayed longer than 12 hours that May, the outlet reported, and the statewide closures of Nashoba and Carney Hospitals eliminated 129 beds altogether.
The strain extends beyond emergency rooms. In 2016, just 3.8% of all hospital stays in Massachusetts lasted more than 30 days; by 2023 that figure had climbed to 8.6%, WGBH reported, and four of the 10 most common diagnoses among those long-stay patients were mental health conditions, with schizophrenia the most frequent.
Parking, Power and a Helipad on the Roof
Parking access will be affected during construction.
The project will include two generators. The addition will also include a rooftop helipad.
Funding and Project Timeline
Funding for the project has come from a mix of Sturdy Health resources, federal dollars and donations, according to wpri.com. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey secured $2.85 million in federal funding for the project, WPRI reported, and the Sturdy Health Foundation announced in May 2025 that it had raised more than $1 million to support the new building. WPRI reported that a groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 8, 2025.
WPRI reported that Sturdy executives hoped to have the building fully open and ready to help patients by fall 2027. A separate project timeline gives substantial completion in 2029 and full occupancy in 2030.
