A rendering of the $152 million patient tower project.

TIFTON — The Tift County Hospital Authority approved interim financing for the upcoming $152 million patient tower/emergency room project at its Aug. 15 meeting.

The board approved a $90 million loan with TD Bank.

That loan will then be repaid with the $90 million rural development loan from the USDA, according to Tift Regional Health Systems staff.

The  patient tower project will expand the physical facility of Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC), including new inpatient units and a new emergency center.

Approximately 60 percent of the financing will be through a USDA rural development loan; the remaining 40 percent will be funded through internal reserves, according to a press release.

The new emergency room is expected to serve a larger volume of patients and decrease wait times.

The new building will connect to the current TRMC facility and shift the main entrance to face 18th Street.

The board approved using $110,000 that was budgeted to replace the Sylvester Clinic roof to instead renovate the old Outpatient Therapy Services Building on Madison Avenue.

That building will then house the Vascular Clinic, which is currently located in the former BB&T building on Old Ocilla Road.

That work will include: preparing eight exam rooms, constructing a nurse work station, building a storage room, installing sinks, new flooring and signage, reworking electrical systems and replacing bulbs.