Auburn Memorial Hospital can move forward with $8.8 million in improvements with a final deposit of matching funds announced Monday morning.

The Auburn Hospital System Foundation will transfer $200,000 to the project fund and bring total contributions to the required $4.4 million match for a state grant. The hospital plans to reconfigure and upgrade the Memorial Wing, add two state-of-the-art operating rooms, move psychiatric services back to the main building and improve heating, ventilation and cooling with a grant through the state Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law.

"The hospital Foundation was able to generate these funds from its ongoing fundraising events, generous contributions from members of our community and earnings from the Foundation's investments," Foundation President Stephen L. Zabriskie said in a press release. "The completion of this match, together with the outstanding commitment or our local foundations, ensures that AMH will be entitled to the full participation of the state to the extent of $4.4 million to provide the highest quality care to our community."

The state required that the $4.4 million HEAL grant be matched before the money would be released. The hospital previously received $2 million from the Auburn Hospital System Foundation, $1 million from the Allyn Foundation, $800,000 from the Fred L. Emerson Foundation, $250,000 from the Stanley W. Metcalf Foundation, $100,000 from the D.E. French Foundation and $50,000 from the Columbian Foundation.

Construction will begin this month with completion targeted for the end of 2008.