The Iowa Board of Regents unanimously approved University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' plan to build a new hospital campus in North Liberty, Iowa, according to The Gazette.
Five things to know:
1. The board voted, 8-0, to approve the hospital construction project, which has a total project budget of $395 million. The budget includes a $230 million, 300,000-square-foot hospital and $165 million academic building.
2. The 300,000-square-foot hospital will house 48 beds, 21 emergency care rooms, 16 operating rooms and two additional procedure rooms. It also will offer laboratory services, pharmacy services and other amenities.
3. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics also plans to construct a 169,000-square-foot academic and clinical building. It will house outpatient clinics, faculty offices and research spaces. The building is expected to cost $165 million.
4. Several local healthcare systems, including Mercy Iowa City, Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids and UnityPoint Health, unsuccessfully opposed the project. The health systems argued that the North Liberty campus is a costly project that would add duplicative services to the region.
5. The five-member Iowa State Health Facilities Council voted, 4-1, to grant a certificate of need for the $230 million hospital to the Iowa City-based health system Aug. 31.