University of Chicago Medicine breaks ground in Orland Park

University of Chicago Medicine breaks ground in Orland Park

September 30, 2015

The University of Chicago Medicine broke ground on its 108,000-square-foot, four-story ambulatory health care facility in Orland Park during a ceremony Tuesday in the southwest Chicago suburb.

The event marked the formal start of construction on the University of Chicago Medicine Center for Advanced Care at Orland Park. The groundbreaking included remarks by Sharon O'Keefe, University of Chicago Medical Center president, Kenneth Polonsky, MD, executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago, and Emily Nicklin, chairwoman of the medical center's Board of Trustees. Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin also was on hand.

The facility, at 143rd Street and LaGrange Road, will be UChicago Medicine's largest off-site location when it opens in late 2016 or early 2017.

"It is a privilege to bring the 'Forefront of Medicine' closer to home for Orland Park residents," O'Keefe said. "We are elated to extend our brand into this region, continuing our mission to provide care to citizens across Illinois."

The Center for Advanced Care at Orland Park will help meet the growing health care demands of the region in an outpatient setting. Plans include 80 exam rooms with services in radiation oncology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, cardiology, pediatrics, women's health and surgical consulting.

The multi-use building will occupy about two acres in Orland Park's downtown area and will include a pharmacy and a freestanding 530-space parking garage, which will be available to patients and the public. The development is expected to employ more than 100 people and create about 200 construction jobs.

The $61 million project is estimated to bring more than 80,000 visitors and patients to Orland Park's downtown in its first year of operation — a figure projected to increase over time.

"We are excited to be working with the University of Chicago Medicine to bring this much-needed medical development to Orland Park," said Village Mayor Dan McLaughlin. "Along with the additional medical services for area residents, this facility brings construction jobs and will create a number of high-end jobs in Orland Park."

UChicago Medicine and the Village of Orland Park signed a 25-year lease agreement, with the property transferring to the medical center at the end of the term. The direct financial benefit to the village is estimated at $22 million in revenue (medical and retail combined) during the course of the deal.

In May 2014, the Orland Park Board of Trustees unanimously approved a letter of intent from UChicago Medicine to build an outpatient facility in downtown Orland Park. Three months later, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board unanimously approved UChicago Medicine's health facility plan.