Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has shared additional details about its proposed pediatric hospital in Downers Grove, Ill., which would be the system’s second hospital in Illinois and first inpatient hospital outside Chicago.
Hospital leaders said at a March 12 community meeting that the facility would be built on vacant land near the intersection of Interstates 88 and 355, according to the Chicago Tribune. Lurie Children’s is in the process of acquiring the site.
If approved by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board and village’s zoning board, the hospital could open in early 2029, the Tribune reported. A spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s March 13 that next steps include seeking approvals, such as a certificate of need.
The proposed low-acuity hospital would likely include 48 inpatient beds and an emergency department with nearly 40 rooms, the system’s chief financial officer told the Tribune. Plans also call for an adjacent clinic building with about 60 exam rooms, along with imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services.
Lurie Children’s said the facility would include a pediatric emergency department, surgery suites, inpatient beds and pediatric subspecialties such as oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology and orthopedics. The project is intended to expand access to pediatric care in Chicago’s western suburbs, where about 47% of children “must leave their community to receive inpatient pediatric care,” according to a Jan. 28 health system news release.
The Downers Grove hospital is part of Lurie Children’s efforts to expand access to pediatric care across the Chicago area. The system opened an outpatient center in Schaumburg, Ill., in 2025 and is preparing to open the Austin HOPE Center this fall, according to the release.
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