A Rockford hospital system is expanding…and the project is being called one of the biggest capital projects in the city’s history.
MercyRockford Health System has only existed since January...that’s when Rockford Health System and Janesville, Wisconsin-based Mercy Health System merged. Now the health care provider is moving forward with a massive project: a $400-million makeover. And that means building a new hospital on Rockford’s far northeast side, focusing on women and children. It will also be a high level trauma center.
Javon Bea is president and CEO of Mercy Rockford Health System. He says it will be great for patients and the economy. “There’s going to be a big economic boom,” he stated, “with new hotels and restaurants and retail to support the new destination medical campus that people will be coming to from a wide area.”
But this doesn’t mean the health system’s anchor, Rockford Memorial Hospital, is going away. The 61 year old facility on Rockford’s west side will be revamped. Rockford mayor Larry Morrissey says “we don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul. We want to make sure the new revenues are created to support the financing and the infrastructure at the site. In other words, the project's economics have to be able to pay for themselves.”
MercyRockford will continue operating at its current North Rockton Avenue site. The plan is to construct a second campus on 263 acres at the intersection of East Riverside Boulevard and the I-90 interstate highway.
MercyRockford plans to centralize intensive care services and construct a “destination” campus on I-90 at East Riverside Blvd.
The East Riverside destination medical center campus will have 188 inpatient beds.
MercyRockford will eliminate 109 state-licensed hospital beds.
MercyRockford Health System is applying to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board for Certificate of Need approval for the plans. MercyRockford anticipates that review by the board will be completed in November of this year and that construction will begin in late 2016.
WNIJ's Susan Stephens and Jenna Dooley contributed to this story.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rockford Health Systems is an underwriter for Northern Public Radio.