Alexian Brothers Medical Center Opens New Patient Tower

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., May 26 /PRNewswire/ — Alexian Brothers Medical Center dedicated its long-awaited East Tower hospital addition on Thursday, May 21. The 200,000 square-foot, five-story, patient complex will convert the Elk Grove Village hospital to all private rooms, and will centralize all outpatient diagnostic services, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, ultrasound testing, non-invasive cardiology testing, and pre-surgical testing. The $120 million project took more than three years to complete and is the largest in the history of the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, which operates four hospitals in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090526/CG22390)

Following a blessing and dedication ceremony led by Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, nearly 1500 people had the opportunity to tour the new structure, which will add 108 private beds to the hospital. With the new configuration, the hospital will now have a total of 387 beds, including 257 for general medical/surgery patients, 28 for obstetrics patients, 36 for ICU patients, and 66 for rehabilitation patients.

In remarks made during the ceremony, John Werrbach, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alexian Brothers Medical Center, commented on the milestone and thanked those responsible, “Years of planning and hard work by staff across all departments has culminated in today’s blessing. Your dedication and focus, whether on a team or encouraging and supporting colleagues, is a true hallmark of the Alexian Brothers Spirit. Our new East Tower will meet an important need of providing the safest, highest quality care possible through the dedication of our doctors, nurses, employees, and hospital leadership so that patients can receive the best care in the very best environment.”

According to Mary Ann Magnifico, Vice President of Construction and Support Services for Alexian Brothers, patients in private rooms will have their own shower, bathroom and separate sink, and there will be a sofa bed in each room so loved ones can stay overnight, “enhancing patients’ privacy and creating an ideal healing environment.” In addition, centralization of diagnostic services on the new tower’s ground level will foster greater efficiencies among staff and will provide unparalleled convenience for patients.

The public is invited to an open house of Alexian Brothers Medical Center’s new East Tower on Saturday, June 6, 2009 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. For directions – and a virtual tour of the new complex – visit: www.alexianbrothershealth.org

SOURCE Alexian Brothers Medical Center