UIC to break ground on new clinical building Aug. 13
The University of Illinois Chicago will celebrate the construction of a new 200,000-square-foot clinical building on Aug. 13.
The Outpatient Surgery Center and Specialty Clinics building will provide expanded space for the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, or UI Health, to serve patients needing GI, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, transplant and urology services.
When:
Aug. 13
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
- 11:30 a.m. — Event starts (arrival and symptom screening)
- 11:45 a.m. — Press conference
- 12:15 p.m. — Ceremonial groundbreaking
Where:
1009 S. Wood St., across from the University of Illinois Hospital
Or
Livestream: RSVP online
Who:
UIC and UI Health leadership will join with partners and elected officials and offer brief remarks. Remarks are anticipated by:
- Michael Amiridis, UIC Chancellor
- Dr. Stuart King, University of Illinois Board of Trustees
- Timothy Killeen, University of Illinois System President
- Dr. Robert Barish, UIC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
- Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, University of Illinois College of Medicine Executive Dean
- Michael Zenn, University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics CEO
- Michael O’Keefe, Ankura Managing Director
- Senate President Donald Harmon, Illinois Senate, 39th District
Attendance is also anticipated by:
- Sen. Omar Aquino, 2nd District
- Rep. Theresa Mah, 2nd District
- Rep. Lakesia Collins, 9th District
- Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th Ward
Details:
The UI Health Outpatient Surgery Center and Specialty Clinics building will include six floors of patient care space, including eight operating and eight procedure rooms, 48 pre- and post-surgery bays, clinic space for GI, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, transplant and urology clinics and a pharmacy.
Under the public-private partnership between UIC and Provident Resources Group, a 501(c)(3) corporation, Provident will finance nearly three-quarters of the cost of the $194 million building through tax-exempt bonds and lease the facility to UI Health during the 30-year term of the bonds. Additional funding will come from the health system and private philanthropy. In November 2019, Bruno and Sallie Pasquinelli pledged $10 million for the project through the Pasquinelli Family Foundation.
Completion of the project is expected in 2022.
A full suite of images of the new building, including interior and exterior renderings, is available online for download.
What UIC leaders have said about the new building:
“UIC’s students, staff and faculty are among Chicago’s most driven and innovative leaders, and they need and deserve world-class facilities,” UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said. “These new buildings are an investment in our and Chicago’s future. They will enhance significantly our teaching, research and clinical operations and will allow UIC to advance, grow and flourish.”
“The University of Illinois at Chicago and UI Health have an impressive history of providing innovative, patient-centered health care alongside its world-class academic programs and world-class research,” Amiridis said. “As Chicago’s public research university and Illinois’ leading provider of public health care, we are unwavering in our commitment to meeting and exceeding the needs of our community of students and patients. It is through the generosity of people like Bruno and Sallie Pasquinelli that we have the opportunity to change lives through these programs.”
“UI Health brings together seven health sciences colleges and a significant portfolio of bench to community research with a world-class, public clinical care delivery system,” said Dr. Robert Barish, vice chancellor for health affairs at UIC. “This building will serve as a new hub for our top-ranked ophthalmology and transplant programs, and we are looking forward to bringing this new, comfortable space to our patients.”
“UI Health continues to see 5% annual growth in outpatient surgeries across many surgical services lines and the new building will also provide the space needed for our growing specialty clinics,” said Michael Zenn, CEO of the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics. “Using a public-private partnership model will allow us to move forward on an accelerated timeline while working collaboratively with developers, architects, contractors and others to ensure the building will best serve the needs of our community.”
“Our surgical program has grown so that we are operating at or beyond capacity,” said Dr. Enrico Benedetti, UIC professor and Warren H. Cole Chair of Surgery. “The Pasquinelli’s generous gift will allow us to give patients needing outpatient surgery more comfortable, state-of-the-art space and it will free up our inpatient operating rooms to take on additional, more complex cases.”
