DOTmed: Please outline the scope of this project.
Funding for a major, $85 million renovation of the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago was approved by the Board of Trustees during its meeting Thursday on the University’s Chicago campus.

Trustees authorized issuing up to $77 million in bonds to finance the project, which will provide electrical, mechanical, plumbing and other infrastructure upgrades needed to maintain the 33-year-old hospital and its existing programs.

University officials said renovations are required to sustain effective operations and will position the hospital to meet patient-care needs for the next 10 to 20 years. The hospital serves more than 400,000 patients annually, many from under-served families.The project will include modernization of the hospital’s heating and cooling, electrical, plumbing and elevator systems. A two-story addition also will be built at the hospital’s main building at 1740 W. Taylor St. to create a new lobby.

DOTmed: How will this project help the community you serve?
“These improvements are critical to ensure that the University of Illinois Hospital continues to serve the needs of the community and remains competitive in Chicago’s health-care system,” said Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Walter Knorr.

DOTmed: What does the timeline to completion look like?
Renovations are expected to be completed in 2017 and will not affect patient care or services.