MONROE — Since 2017, passersby to the hospital have been met with the sight of construction. By the end of this week, the demolition of the St. Clare Center will wrap up, Rebecca Bordner, marketing and communications consultant at Monroe Clinic, said. Soon, the area will no longer be a construction site.

When the demolition is complete, patrons will have access to a new walkway connecting the clinic and hospital entrances. By late spring 2021, the location of St. Clare will be turned into patient parking.

The new Monroe Clinic Medical Office Building has housed the clinic and hospital since June 2019.

Monroe Clinic’s original building, which was built in 1938, was taken down in 2017. The St. Clare Center was added in 1970 as a 300-bed hospital. Today, the Monroe Clinic Hospital has only 58 beds. The decline in beds can be attributed to quicker recovery times and fewer in-patient surgeries.

As for the future of the Clinic, Bordner says that they hope simply to continue providing the community with care.

“We’re really proud of what we can provide as a small community hospital,” she said.

As construction winds down, patrons can expect a smoother flow of traffic around the hospital.