The University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics is requesting approval from the state Board of Regents this week to add 13 inpatient rooms, create a new Ophthalmology Simulation Lab, and modernize the hospital’s Elevator Bank D.

The regents will vote on the $2.3 million proposed project budget funded by University Hospitals Building Usage Funds and private gifts on Thursday.

The regents approved a 10-year master plan in January for UI facility renovations. The projects proposed for this week’s regents meeting are part of this plan, as previously reported by The Daily Iowan.

UIHC South Wing level 2 inpatient conversions

An overarching goal of the 10-year project is to increase inpatient capacity. The first UIHC request would convert level 2 of the UI’s South Wing into 13 new inpatient rooms.

Permission to proceed with the planning of the South Wing project was granted in January 2022. If approved, the project will cost $8 million, funded by University Hospitals Building Usage Funds.

The project will include building new walls, ceilings, finishes, gas piping, fan coil units, electrical modifications, two patient rooms compliant with the Americans with disabilities act, pneumatic tube upgrades, a nurse call station, and upgraded HVAC and electrical stations.

UIHC Hospital Parking Ramp No. 4 conversion into ophthalmology simulation lab

The second item the UI is seeking approval for is the project description and budget to build a new UIHC ophthalmology simulation lab, including a new teaching space built in lower level 2 of the hospital Parking Ramp 4.

The $2.3 million proposed project budget would be funded by University Hospitals Building Usage Funds and private gifts.

Items included in the project are the renovation of 1,600 square feet of storage area, which will be used to build a wet lab for the UIHC Ophthalmology Department.

According to the regent’s November meeting agenda, the Department of Ophthalmology is developing the ophthalmology simulation lab to support its research and teaching missions and provide state-of-the-art education.

The meeting agenda states the department wants to create a specialized lab related to eye care to allow students to practice surgical procedures before working with patients.

UIHC Elevator Bank D modernization

The final item the UI is seeking approval for is to proceed with the modernization of UIHC Elevator Bank D.

If approved, the project will include upgrading three elevators and their lobbies in Elevator Bank D of the UIHC Roy J. Carver Pavilion. The elevators service the pavilion’s lower level through level 8. One of them provided access to the helipad used by UIHC AirCare.

The elevator upgrades include replacing elevator control systems, hoist assemblies, doors, operators, cables, call buttons, and electrical panels. Lobby upgrades include new doors, walls, ceilings, floors, wall finishes, lights, and air diffusers.

According to the regent’s November agenda, elevators require periodic modernizations to maintain safety. Elevator bank D elevators were last modernized 21 years ago and still feature original machinery.

The project budget is estimated to be $5-5.6 million, funded by University Hospitals Building Usage Funds.