University of Iowa Health Care is seeking approval from the Iowa Board of Regents to expand its North Liberty campus, expected to cost approximately $24 million, after opening just a year prior.
UI Health Care earnings and equity will fund the project, according to board documents.
UI Health Care reported they admitted over 1,500 patients to the clinic and performed over 4,000 operations in its first six months of operation. The university will pose its request to the Board of Regents during its April 22-23 meetings.
According to board documents, the plan is broken into two phases, with all construction taking place in previously constructed shell space within the building. Shell space is the unfinished interior of a building that has walls, floors, and utilities. Phase one will develop space on the second floor into four operating rooms, four post-anesthesia care unit rooms, and eight surgery prep/recovery rooms.
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Phase two will construct space on the fourth floor into a clinical exam pod, twelve exam rooms, one treatment room, and one X-ray room.
According to board documents, the proposition will expand surgical and clinical spaces in the facility in response to higher demand than anticipated at the North Liberty campus.
The total project budget is $24 million, and will be funded by UI Health Care, which is estimating $960,000 for planning, design, and management costs, $10,320,000 for construction costs, $12 million for furniture and equipment, and $720,000 for contingency funding according to board documents.
Nick Bergus, community relations director for the City of North Liberty, said the project is an investment in North Liberty and shows continued growth. Census data reported a population of 21,904 in 2024, a 53 percent increase from 2010.
“North Liberty is well connected to the region, making our town a good home for the University of Iowa Health Care’s state-of-the-art campus,” Bergus said. “UIHC provides high-quality jobs and high-quality care for our community. The continued demand for these services is evident in UIHC’s rapid buildout, and after years of planning by the university, the city, and others, it’s good to see the full project come to fruition.”