Condell proceeds with major hospital expansion
Plans for a mega-project in Libertyville have not missed a beat despite a recent change in ownership that created Advocate Condell Medical Center.
Village staff are reviewing a building permit application for a $109 million addition, proposed well before the Condell and Oak Brook-based Advocate Health Care merger became official Dec. 1.
The new West Patient Tower will be another in a series of projects in recent years at the 80-year-old facility.
"They were already under construction with renovation and expansion of their emergency department, and this is continuing as well," said Scott Powder, Advocate's senior vice-president of strategic planning and growth.
That's also good news for Libertyville, not only because of permit fees estimated at more than $400,000, but for local jobs as well.
"Any project that moves forward anywhere is good these days," said Mayor Jeff Harger. "This is more than permit fees. It's a good thing for the community."
Village officials said they never heard anything that led them to believe the project wouldn't proceed. But it's still a relief of sorts.
The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board gave its approval for a medical/surgical/bed tower in 2006. The village approved the plans last year in tandem with a long-sought master plan for the 76-acre campus.
"You always have that question but the folks from Condell and Advocate have always been very clear they intended to pursue the project," said John Spoden, the village's director of community development.
The West Tower will involve a major expansion, renovation and modernization of the hospital, including the relocation and expansion of beds and diagnostic treatment services in a five-story building immediately west of the cardiology addition along Cleveland Avenue.
Forty-four beds will be added. When finished Advocate Condell essentially will have all single rooms.
Expected completion is March 2011, according to Advocate.
The master plan designates individual zones and uses on the campus. The bed tower is the first new project approved as part of that plan.
An expanded emergency room is fully functional and the pediatric emergency room is scheduled to open this summer in its final location.
The bed tower and emergency room work are intended to support Advocate's application to the state for Level 1 trauma status. A decision is expected in several weeks.
Condell is the ninth Advocate hospital. That new chapter began the same day Condell agreed to pay the federal and state governments $36 million to resolve issues involving false Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
Since then, Advocate Condell has rejoined Blue Cross HMO Illinois, Blue Advantage and Blue Cross PPO. Condell had been out of that network for more than a year, a move that affected tens of thousands of patients.
"It's early but we're already seeing the return of patients and physicians," Powder said. "Physicians have been scheduling surgeries for Blue Cross patients.