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Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has begun planning a low-acuity pediatric hospital in west suburban Downers Grove, Illinois, which would be its first inpatient facility outside of downtown Chicago.
The hospital has engaged a design and build team led by Clayco to support the planning and delivery of the proposed facility. The team also includes Chicago-based Skender, architecture and design firm ZGF and Chicago-based LJC Design & Engineering.
The planned hospital, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to include a pediatric emergency department, operating rooms, inpatient beds and a range of pediatric subspecialties including oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology and orthopedics. If approved, it would be Lurie Children’s first inpatient hospital outside its flagship Streeterville campus.
Project costs and the exact location have not yet been announced.
Hospital officials said nearly half of children living in Chicago’s western suburbs, about 47 percent, currently have to leave their communities for in-patient pediatric care. Downers Grove Hospital aims to maintain local and coordinated care while creating economic opportunities for the region.
“This new facility represents a significant and necessary investment in local health infrastructure and pediatric health,” Downers Grove Mayor Bob Barnett said in a statement.
Hospital leaders described the project as a key component of Lurie Children’s long-term growth strategy as it evolves from a single hospital to a more integrated pediatric health care system.
In addition to its flagship hospital, Lurie Children’s operates more than 20 outpatient centers and partners with 10 hospitals in the Chicago area. In September, it opened a 75,000-square-foot outpatient center in Schaumburg. Skender served as the general contractor on the $61.5 million project, with HKS as the architect, IMEG Corp. as a structural engineer and V3 Cos. as a civil engineer.
In Chicago, Lurie Children’s is also developing the Austin HOPE Center, a community health and wellness facility under construction on the city’s West Side and set to open this fall.
The three-story, approximately 25,000-square-foot building has a total development cost of about $22 million. UJAMAA Construction is the general contractor, and the project was designed by Gregory Ramon Design Studio and TnS Studio.
When complete, the center will house clinical and behavioral health services along with community health programs. Plans also include flexible community spaces and a bank branch focused on financial empowerment, positioning the Austin HOPE Center as a neighborhood investment and health care center.
