CEDAR RAPIDS - More new medical technology is just around the corner for patients at one Eastern Iowa hospital.

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids will unveil a new $6.5 million Intensive Care Center next week. The project has taken nearly two years to complete.

One of the goals with the completely new ICC was to design something that could still work with new medical technology that may come out 10, 15 or more years in the future. Planners believe they've accomplished that goal.

One obvious difference with the new ICC at Mercy is the size. At 20,000 square feet, it's at least double the size of the 30-year-old current Intensive Care Center. But the number of rooms has only increased from 16 to 20. The extra space is one reflection of changes to provide more comfort for both patients and visitors.

One of the bigger differences may be the "smart beds" in each of the ICC rooms. The beds can monitor patients and send the data to computers, but that's not all. The bed itself can even perform some nursing-type duties like automatically turning a patient.

An overhead double-boom system supplies all the power and medical functions. Only the four wheels on each bed touch the floor. By not fixing the technology in a wall, the hospital should be more flexible for accommodating technology changes in the future.

The public is invited to see Mercy's new Intensive Care Center next Tuesday, August 1 at 4:30 P.M. The open-house event will include public tours.

Patients in the current intensive care area begin moving to the new ICC next Wednesday.