Area residents will get their first look at the University of Chicago Medicine’s new Center for Care and Discovery during a Community Open House on Saturday, Dec. 8. The free event will offer guided tours, wellness screenings and information from community health resources, all in celebration of the 1.2 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, due to welcome its first patients in early 2013.
Attendees will have a rare opportunity to see areas that will be off-limits to the general public once the hospital opens. The hospital tour will include a behind-the-scenes look at advanced operating rooms, integrated diagnostic and procedure rooms and pre- and post-op areas.
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The facility was designed by the award-winning architect Rafael Viñoly, who also is responsible for the acclaimed Charles M. Harper Center at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. The new hospital will contain 240 private patient rooms, spacious enough to accommodate families for overnight stays. The rooms, located along the perimeter of the building for greater privacy, have large windows that provide beautiful panoramic views. They also include flat-screen TVs, reading lights, dual-layer window treatments and a state-of-the-art paging system that eliminates the need for overhead announcements.
For physicians, nurses and researchers, the Center for Care and Discovery will encourage multidisciplinary treatment. It boasts 28 operating rooms with integrated diagnostic and interventional platforms for specialty care. The new hospital is largely made up of repeating modular cubes that can be repurposed over time to accommodate innovations and changing medical needs.
Registration is required to attend, either online or by phone at 855-655-2627.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
