About NCH • Our Vision for the Future
Patient Care Addition Update • July 2008
Setting New Standards for Excellence in Patient Care
Since 1959, Northwest Community Hospital's mission has been to offer exceptional medical care to the people of the northwest suburbs. As we move into the future, our vision is to combine world-class technology, clinical expertise and the compassion that only a community hospital can offer. We have developed an exciting plan to accommodate the community's changing needs.
Planned for the south end of the Hospital campus along Central Road, this eight-story structure will set new standards in patient care. Designed specifically around the needs of patients and their families, the new addition will feature a range of visitor amenities and all private patient rooms to enhance comfort and healing. The new patient bed area will increase the hospital’s staffed bed count from 410 to 488. The new building’s design encourages plenty of natural light and views of nature, and was planned with our mission of family-centered healing in mind. The project consists of 332,573 square feet of new and remodeled space, and will include:
- A New Entry and Public Lobby
This new welcoming center will provide an attractive, modernized entry point for the facility, making it easier for guests to find their way throughout the hospital. - An Additional 24-bed Critical Care Unit
The entire second floor will be comprised of this new Critical Care Unit that will feature state-of-the-art technology. Each room will be modeled after those in the current Critical Care unit, which allows for maximum patient privacy and comfort. - A New Labor and Delivery, and Postpartum Unit
The fourth and fifth floors will be dedicated to Women’s Services, with new Labor and Delivery rooms on the fourth floor–each designed to be a spacious 400 square feet. The 34 private Postpartum rooms on the fifth floor will be comfortable and inviting. - Three Floors Designed to Care for Surgical Patients
Floors six, seven and eight are each designed to be 34-bed medical/surgical units, with rooms that include private individual baths, space for family members, and overnight accommodations for guests. - A New Seven-level Sheltered Parking Deck for 780 Cars
To provide convenient parking and shelter against the elements, a new parking garage for 780 cars has been completed and is now open on the east side of the campus, with two levels below ground level, and five levels above. A glass curtain wall system will provide the deck with the appearance of a building rather than a parking structure.
Emergency Room Expansion
Northwest Community Hospital is widely recognized as a leader in emergency medicine and annually serves more people than any other hospital in the northwest region. The new patient care addition will provide the community with an exceptional level of emergency care to serve 60,000 plus patients in need each year. The expansion and renovation will improve the functional and efficient care of patients. The goal is to:
- Improve the triage and registration process.
- Admit patients on a timely basis to the Emergency Room.
- Improve overall Emergency Room care and efficiency.
- Improve radiology services for Emergency Room patients.
- Speed up and improve the processing of laboratory studies.
When completed, the new and improved Emergency Room will include 8 triage spaces, 45 patient care rooms, 19,300 square feet of expansion on the ground level, and a more visible entry way. While the multiple triage rooms will allow for the most minor or non-acute patients to be treated efficiently and released, the rest of the design is based on a universal concept of care, meaning that “any patient can be treated in any space.” The Pediatric ER, especially designed for the comfort of children, will continue to be a part of the ER.
The projected timing for this development is Spring 2007 through Summer 2010.
Watch for more updates on the New Patient Care Addition in the coming months here at the Northwest Community Healthcare website, or contact Blaine Krage, Media Relations Specialist, at 847.618.5516.
Last Updated 04/10/2009