Finally, the wait is over.

A large crowd filled the lobby last week as Lexington Medical Center celebrated the opening of its record new expansion.

After 3 years of construction, the ribbon was cut as a part of the official completion of LMC’s new 10-story patient care tower.

The tower is the largest hospital expansion in the history of South Carolina, according to literature distributed by LMC.

The expansion consists of 545,000 square feet of space.

The tower features patient rooms, operating rooms, educational space for staff and community members, and enhanced dining options, and expands the hospital’s labor and delivery, and mother/baby departments.

Specifically there are:

• 71 new patient beds (for a total of 485)

• 8 new operating rooms, including 2 for open-heart surgery

• 20 ergonomic bassinets and private rooms in a special care nursery

“The hospital’s mission is to meet the health needs of our community, and we’re committed to taking care of our families, friends and neighbors,” said Tod Augsburger, LMC president and CEO. “We look forward to this new tower serving the people of the Midlands for many years to come.”

More than 3,300 babies are born at LMC each year.

Based on surveys, the hospital is consistently recognized as one of the best maternity hospitals in South Carolina. With the expansion LMC promises to deliver “an even better patient experience for expectant families.”

Since it opened, more than 100,000 babies have been delivered at LMC.

To celebrate those births, the hospital has collected more than 4,000 photos of babies born there through the years. The photos are now in a mosaic inside the new tower’s main entrance.

Beginning this week, the public can come in and see the baby images.

As he addressed the ribbon-cutting assembly, Augsburger made note of the aesthetics of the massive structure.

He complimented the staff, nurses and doctors who serve the patients who will be using it.

The hospital opened in 1971 and employs 7,000 as county’s largest employer.