A new outpatient medical facility may be coming to Bronzeville.
Northwestern Medicine management is considering building on a vacant property in Bronzeville’s Grand Boulevard community at the southwest corner of East 48th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue.
“We selected this location because of our longstanding relationship with the Bronzeville community,” Christopher King, chief media relations executive for Northwestern Medicine, said. “We’ve had numerous relationships with local healthcare providers and community organizations for decades. Every day, Northwestern Medicine cares for hundreds of Bronzeville and surrounding communities’ residents at a Northwestern Medicine outpatient facility or at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. By opening a Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville location, we will reduce the burden of residents traveling to both routine outpatient care and follow-up care. Additionally, we will be bringing world class compassionate care to the Bronzeville community.”
The project remains in the planning stage, and the hospital is securing parcels of privately owned land adjacent to a City-owned lot to build the facility.
“The Bronzeville Lakefront development strives to enable positive health outcomes for the Bronzeville community and beyond,” Morgan Malone, director of development and external affairs at Farpoint Development, said. “We are excited to see additional health institutions coming to the community and look forward to partnering with Northwestern in the future.”
Chicago-based firms Brook Architecture and Lamar Johnson Collaborative are designing the proposed 100,000-square-foot four-story building for the site’s north end and an above-ground parking garage with 250 spaces for the south end.
Describing the project as “in the community, for the community,” Malone said the approach to date has recognized community members “should be able to speak for themselves versus our team saying what the new facility would mean to the community.”
The facility will create both construction and medical jobs. Once built, the facility will offer a wide array of healthcare services including immediate care; primary care; and specialty care such as cardiology, X rays, mammograms, obstetric ultrasound, dermatology, behavioral and mental health care, and cancer treatment at a dedicated center.
“We have seen a year-over-year increase of Bronzeville and surrounding community residents choosing Northwestern Medicine for their care,” King said. “We believe building a facility in Bronzeville will provide greater access to world class care for the community, closer to where they live and work. We look forward to growing our relationship with the Bronzeville community, increasing access to Northwestern Medicine care, and providing the community with a health care hub for years to come.”
According to Northwestern Medicine, 839 Bronzeville residents travel outside their neighborhood to Northwestern facilities for care, and 164 area residents are receiving inpatient care daily.
The plan also includes 5,000 square feet of ground-level retail space for local businesses and 10,000 square feet of new community space. Northwestern Medicine also would extend its Northwestern Medicine Scholars program to Kenwood Academy, where students would explore careers in healthcare.
Officials expect the design, land acquisition, zoning, and permitting process to take up to 18 months; once Northwestern breaks ground, construction will take another 18 months.
“Construction will begin once we complete a thoughtful community engagement and design process,” King said. “We are actively meeting with both Alderman Sophia King’s office and the City of Chicago through the early phases of the project. We have not yet finalized a construction contract for the site.”
Local community organizations look favorably on the project.
“The Washington Park Chamber of Commerce would welcome Northwestern Medical Outpatient Center to the Bronzeville Community,” Donna Hampton-Smith, president-CEO of the Washington Park Chamber of Commerce, said. “Having quality access to health care is a necessity for the residents of Bronzeville. It will not only revitalize the community but will also be the economic boost that’s needed on Chicago’s South Side.”
The facility will create more than 1,000 jobs alone during the construction phase and 100 permanent jobs as clinical services come online.
“In addition to creating a health care hub in the Bronzeville community, we are excited that this new facility will foster partnerships through unique features supporting the surrounding community,” Posh Charles, senior vice president of administration at Northwestern Medicine, said.
For Northwestern Medicine, log on to nm.org. For the Washington Park Chamber, log on to www.thewashingtonparkcofc.org.
— Kelly White