University of Iowa Health Care is preparing to open its new North Liberty Medical Campus on April 28, following a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday and an open house on Saturday.
Located on Forevergreen Road, the North Liberty Medical Campus has been under construction since 2021, costing UIHC an estimated $525.6 million to build. The hospital is suited to prioritize orthopedics but is designed to expand in the future.
The ribbon cutting will take place Friday and feature community, business and university leaders along with health care professionals. On Saturday, the hospital will be open to the public for tours and activities. The events include:
- Tours of the North Liberty Medical Center
- A fitness class with Hot House Yoga at 10:15 a.m.
- Student athletes meet and greet from 1:20 to 2:30 p.m.
- Herky from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Food trucks with $5 voucher for the first 4,000 attendees
- STEM activities
- Rock climbing wall, pickleball, mini golf, sports challenges, demonstrations
- Face painting and caricature artists
- Giveaways
The hospital is on a 60-acre plot of land. Completed, the building encompasses 469,000 square feet with a 36,000-square-foot utility plant to support the hospital. Upon completion, the hospital will offer a variety of services geared toward orthopedics.
Orthopedics is a medical field that focuses on bone, joint, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerve health. It is a health care field that is growing in demand among Iowans and the country.
In a previous interview with The Daily Iowan, Rod Lehnertz, UI senior vice president for finance and operations, said part of the benefit of the hospital is relieving the main campus and downtown campus hospital’s caseload.
“When we look ahead for this next 10 years, the thrust of our work is related to health care, and that’s out of necessity,” Lehnertz said. “To put it simply and bluntly, our [main campus] hospital is at nearly 100 percent capacity, nearly 100 percent of the time.”
In the fiscal year 2024, UIHC had more than 54,000 emergency room visits and is the only emergency room provider in the county. The North Liberty hospital will expand the emergency room locations offered by UIHC to three.
Lehnertz said the hospital construction has remained ahead of schedule and an estimated $20 million under budget, which he credits to efficient communication and implementation throughout the UI and UIHC teams.
The North Liberty hospital is located approximately 10 miles away from the UIHC main campus location. Ambulance services will be provided through the Johnson County Ambulance Services.
Emily Ward, associate chief nursing officer at UIHC, said in an interview with the DI in December that the hospital will house 700 staff members, consisting of new hires and transfers from other hospital locations. She said the number of people they need to hire is a moving target as they prepare to open the hospital.
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Once complete, the hospital will offer the following services:
- 36 inpatient beds
- 84 clinic exam rooms
- 14 emergency care rooms
- 12 operating rooms
- Two procedure rooms
- 24/7 retail and drive-thru pharmacy
- Advance diagnostic imaging including MRI, ultrasound, computed tomography, EOS, fluoroscopy, and bone density screening
- Physical therapy services with indoor and outdoor rehab
- Walk-in clinic for same-day treatment of orthopedic injuries
- Clinical lab services
- Orthotics and prosthetics
- Teaching, research, and community education space
- Cafeteria and gift shop
The orthopedics department is currently located at the main campus hospital. Once relocated to North Liberty, more than 100,000 square feet of space, 107 in-patient rooms, 81 exam rooms, and 11 operating rooms will be freed up for other use pending approval from the Iowa Board of Regents.
Amy O’Deen, chief administrative officer of the North Liberty Hospital, said in a previous interview with the DI that the current location of the orthopedic department is challenging because of the massive complex of the main campus hospital.
She said she is excited to see how the hospital will further orthopedic care and expand the general health care services offered to Iowans.
“This is really going to be a premier center of excellence for orthopedic care,” O’Deen said. “We’ve visited a lot of other places across the country, and I think it’s going to be second to none.”