Janice Hur, Contributing Photographer

This Wednesday, Yale New Haven Health, or YNHH, ceremoniously placed the final pillar on the Adams Neurosciences Center, the largest healthcare construction project in Connecticut’s history. 

The $838 million, 500,000-square-foot center, located on the Saint Raphael Campus, is scheduled to open in 2027. It will include the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Neuro Rehabilitation Area and Epilepsy Center and will house 184 inpatient beds and single-patient rooms.

“Today symbolizes Yale New Haven Health’s continued commitment and investment to provide exceptional, advanced destination, neurosciences care, to serve the health needs of the communities we serve,” Dr. Katherine Heilpern, president of Yale New Haven Hospital said at the ceremony.

The new center will consist of two towers, the Sherman Tower adjacent to Sherman Avenue and the McGivney Tower built atop the existing McGivney Center. The towers will share spaces on the first through third floors.

The center will provide physicians and experts with access to next-generation technology, equipment and programs designed to help patients overcome neurological deficits.

According to Dr. Murat Günel, chief of neurosurgery at YNHH and professor of neurosurgery, the center is designed to advance the treatment of neurological ailments.

“What we’re looking to do is map individual brains [to] give really cutting-edge, precision treatment and personalized approaches to each patient for their complex neurological disorders,” Günel told the News. “So that’s the idea that, of course, starts with the infrastructure.”

According to Günel, the building was constructed with two goals in mind. One is providing holistic care for neurological disorders. The second is advancing a fundamental understanding of neurological disorders to develop treatments and harnessing the engineering insights at Yale to transform patient care.

The new center aligns with YNHH’s increased investment in the Saint Raphael Campus. 

“There were a number of folks that were commenting that this would just be a peripheral campus … and it wouldn’t have a level of service that York Street has been known for,” YNHH CEO Christopher O’Connor said. “Wow, if they could see it now, a billion dollars in additional investments going on right now on this campus.”

O’Connor cited doubling the emergency department size, investing in heart and vascular technology to support the care in the tower and building a large new parking garage.

A significant part of the funding for the center came from its namesakes, Stephen and Denise Adams. As Mr. Adams struggled with Parkinson’s, he and Mrs. Adams decided to support efforts to improve care for patients with neurological conditions.

Drawing from their personal experiences, they envisioned a center to bridge the gap between research and clinic care. 

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker described the Adams Neurosciences Center as having both economic and healthcare benefits for the community.

The center promises to create hundreds of jobs in New Haven. The construction phase has already generated jobs and building permit revenue for the city. Once operational, the center is expected to create more permanent positions in healthcare and research.

In addition to economic contributions, Elicker explained, the center may also establish New Haven as a regional hub for advanced neurological care and research, reflecting broader investments in the city’s healthcare infrastructure. 

“With this building, not only will you begin expanding the amount of love and care that you give to our community,” Elicker said, “but you will be researching and developing cutting-edge research to help so many more people live more fulfilled lives, and for that, we are grateful.”

The Adams Neurosciences Center will be located at 659 George St.