With little debate but much praise for the project — which struggled to get the go-ahead it needed from a state health facilities panel — Iowa’s Board of Regents unanimously approved Tuesday the construction of a $395 million University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics site in North Liberty starting as soon as this month, The Gazette reports.
A 300,000-square-foot portion will feature up to 48 beds, 21 emergency care rooms, 16 operating rooms and two more procedure rooms, along with laboratories, a pharmacy and other amenities. Community health care providers — including Mercy Iowa City, Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids and UnityPoint Health — unsuccessfully opposed the new hospital, arguing it’s too costly and will drive them out of business.
By adding another $165 million for an attached 169,000-square-foot “academic and clinic building” — which will hold outpatient clinics, faculty offices and education, collaboration and research spaces — the project cost will surpass the $392.7 million of UIHC’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Read more.
