This spring, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago is planning to build a new $473 million, 530,000 square-foot outpatient care center specializing in cancer treatment, neurological care, imaging and radiation and infusion therapy.
The facility will be constructed in the city's Near West Side neighborhood, according to an article published Aug. 9 by the Chicago Tribune.
Expected to be completed in 2022, the facility would be located directly across from Rush’s Tower building with an enclosed fourth-floor walkway connecting the two buildings. When completed, it is expected to be the system’s largest outpatient center and would be 11 stories tall.
“This and other outpatient sites will help us improve the health of those who have come to trust Rush for their health care needs,” said Michael Dandorph, president of the Rush System and Rush University Medical Center, in an Aug. 8 Rush University press release. “We want to make it as convenient as possible for people living and working throughout the Chicago area to see their Rush affiliated health care providers.”
Rush University Hospital officials wrote in its certificate of need application filed on Aug. 3 with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board that, "the physicians’ offices and ancillary services most often used by outpatients are located in numerous buildings, scattered throughout the campus, often originally designed for other services, and difficult for outpatients to access."
Rush officials hope the board will vote on the facility at its October meeting, Dandorph told the Tribune.
“We’ve outgrown our outpatient space on campus,” Dandorph said, noting that the Rush Medical System expects demand for its inpatient services to weaken over time as more procedures become possible without hospitals stays. “We’re seeing more outpatient demand from the people that want our services.”
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.