The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System has proposed building a $191 million outpatient care center adjacent to the main hospital on the West Side.
The six-story building would be built at the southeast corner of Taylor and Wood streets and be connected to the main hospital via a bridge, according to an application filed with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. The application said a public-private partnership would fund the building and would involve a tax-exempt nonprofit called Provident Resources Group.
The review board has scheduled a hearing on the proposal on April 7, according to the state agency’s website. Mike Zenn, CEO of University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics, said the 200,000-square-foot building could be started in August, pending state approval, and be finished in 2022.
While there is already a large outpatient building connected to the hospital at the southwest corner of Taylor and Wood, the application said the facility is needed because of an increase in demand for outpatient services. It said its space will include clinics, a pharmacy and places for patients awaiting or recovering from surgery. Funding would include an estimated $160 million in bonds.
“This new facility represents the extraordinary momentum of our clinical care delivery for our communities locally, across the state and beyond,” said Dr. Robert Barish, vice chancellor of health affairs for the University of Illinois at Chicago. “As UIC’s academic health enterprise, UI Health continues to leverage the excellence of seven health sciences colleges and a robust research portfolio to have direct impact on the lives of our patients.’’
Zenn said, “UI Health continues to see 5% annual growth in outpatient surgeries across many surgical service lines. The new outpatient surgery and multispecialty procedure floors are designed to meet this demand in a much more efficient and patient friendly setting.
“It will also allow for expanding the number of complex inpatient surgeries being performed in the main hospital’s surgery facility, for which there is also a growing demand. UI Health has experienced record growth in kidney transplants and remains a leader in combined kidney/pancreas and small bowel transplantation.”
The 462-bed hospital reported seeing nearly 127,000 people needing outpatient services in 2018. Outpatients do not require an overnight stay and represent a growing trend in health care.
Similarly, Rush University Medical Center is building a $450 million outpatient care center at the northeast corner of Ashland Avenue and Harrison Street. It is due to open in 2022.
