PORTLAND -- Today is the day the new Mercy Hospital on Fore River opens its doors to all patients.

The hospital held a celebratory opening on Sept. 10, but today is the day the $49.5 million facility overlooking the Fore River becomes a fully functional medical center for ambulatory surgery, some inpatient surgery, maternity services and imaging services.

The Fore River campus has been in the works for almost a decade and frees many Mercy employees from the cramped confines of their World War II-era hospital on State Street. The new building was the first half of a two-phase project that will fully replace the outdated hospital by 2015, hospital officials say.

Until phase two is completed, emergency room, outpatient cardiology and critical care services will remain at the State Street facility.

If you want to learn more, a detailed downloadable PDF file about the new hospital can be found by clicking here.

The new Mercy Hospital Fore River campus as seen in this Portland Press Herald file photo, taken Sept. 9.

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