The University of Chicago Medicine announced the next phase of its public engagement campaign in support of its plans to increase access to emergency, trauma and specialty care and create a dedicated cancer hospital. This phase includes a community forum on April 21 and the launch of a website about the proposal.
The community forum, which the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois and UChicago Medicine will co-host, will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 21 at the KLEO Community Family Life Center, 119 E. Garfield Blvd. Representatives from UChicago Medicine will share details of its plans and seek public input ahead of next month’s state hearing on the proposal.
[view:story=block_1]
UChicago Medicine also has started a website, UChicagoGetCare.org, where visitors can read about the plan, learn how to get involved and see who in the community has voiced support.
“Community input helped shape our bold plan and will continue to be crucial as we address the growing health care needs of the South Side,” said Sharon O’Keefe, president of the University of Chicago Medical Center. “This project represents a significant investment to improve our community’s health and boost the South Side’s economic vitality, so we want to make sure our neighbors’ voices are heard.”
UChicago Medicine announced Get CARE (Community, Accessibility, Reliability, Excellence) in December 2015 and submitted the plan in February to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board as a certificate of need. The board is set to review the plan on May 10.
Get CARE includes three major elements:
- An expanded and renovated adult emergency department to reduce wait times for patients and serve more patients
- Level 1 adult trauma services, supplementing the existing Level 1 pediatric trauma program and the Burn and Complex Wound Center
- A dedicated cancer hospital and increased specialty care services
The community forum is being co-hosted by Salim Al Nurridin, CEO of the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois. The event will allow community members to meet UChicago Medicine leaders, ask questions and learn more about Get CARE and access to medical services.
“What we have on the South Side is an interconnected system of health care providers,” said Al Nurridin. “We want our community to understand how health care providers work together, and how we’re all impacted when beds at the University of Chicago are full. This is an important conversation, and we welcome the opportunity to talk more about it with our neighbors.”
Community members are encouraged to RSVP for the event at UChicagoGetCare.org.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
