Riverside Walter Reed Hospital is now equipped to handle more patients needing intensive care.

A private ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Dec. 18 to open the hospital’s new Intensive Care Unit built to the rear of the facility, which administrator Megan Kleckner said will accept its first patients on Jan. 8. In the meantime, all of the unit’s equipment and supplies will be checked to make sure everything is ready for the patients.

During the ceremony for about 75 invited guests with hospital, county government and business ties, Kleckner said the ICU has been enlarged from 3,000 to 12,000 square feet. The unit has added an eighth patient room, with two of the ICU rooms having special equipment for obese patients.

Each of the ICU rooms has full access to electronic medical records for the patients, said Peter Glagola, director of public relations for Riverside Health System, Walter Reed’s parent company, and has technologically advanced patient monitoring and l...