EFFINGHAM — Going for a final walk-through at the new Southeast Building at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in preparation for the facility’s Feb. 14 open house and heart fair, are: Mike Dinkins, housekeeping supervisor; Brian Swingler, L.J. Swingler & Sons, Inc., general contractor; Dennis Baker, plant services manager; Dave Storm, director of business support, and Terriann Tharp, community relations associate.

EFFINGHAM — St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital held an open house and a heart fair for the community Feb. 14, at its new Southeast Building. Construction began in August 2006 on the 45,000-square-foot, $8.5 million addition, which will house St. Anthony’s Heart Care Services, Pain Management Services, Sleep Studies and additional enhancements and expansion of the Surgery Center for ambulatory patients.

The hospital has applied with the Illinois Department of Public Health for approval to occupy the new addition, and once approval is received from IDPH, which is anticipated to take between four to six weeks, the four units will relocate from their current locations within St. Anthony’s to the new Southeast Building.

The new facility was made possible in part through donations received through the Friends of St. Anthony’s 2006 Annual Appeal. Starting with the lead gift of $30,000 from St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, the Friends raised $125,000 for the new Southeast Building project from hospital employees, medical staff members, volunteers, leadership group members and community residents.

St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital is an affiliate of the Hospital Sisters Health System.