Saint Francis to break ground for big construction

Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford will break ground next Tuesday for its new 10-story building.

The John T. O’Connell Tower is the hospital’s largest building project to date. It will house an expanded emergency department, rooftop helipad, replacement operating rooms and replacement private patient rooms.

The tower’s namesake was once a cancer patient at Saint Francis prior to his death in 1996. His parents left $5 million to the hospital, one of the largest gifts in Saint Francis history.