University of Chicago Medicine breaks ground on new ER

The University of Chicago Medicine will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking on Sept. 15 to mark the start of a $43 million project to construct a new emergency department, bringing trauma services to the city's south side for the first time in 25 years, according to the Chicago Tribune.

University officials said construction to convert an existing parking garage into the new ER will begin within the next few months. The facility is slated to open in 2018. The project is expected to bring nearly 1,000 permanent jobs and roughly 400 construction jobs to the city.

The ER will feature four trauma resuscitation bays, private patient rooms and separate entrances for ER workers and patients arriving on their own. The facility will also include a bariatric room with lifts in the ceiling to treat morbidly obese patients and an on-site biocontainment space for patients exposed to biological hazards, according to the article.

University of Chicago officials said they plan to expand the project by adding a dedicated cancer hospital and 188 more beds. The overall project, including the new ER facility, is expected to cost roughly $269 million, according to the article.

The Illinois health facilities and services review board approved the university's plans for the project in May.

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