TIF Would Support Improvements to Swedish Covenant Hospital

CHICAGO (June 25, 2014) Emergency room upgrades and a new women’s health center at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Lincoln Square would be supported with $4.6 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) under a proposal introduced today to City Council by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“We want to do all that we can to ensure that all of Chicago’s residents have access to quality health care,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “In modernizing and expanding access to these quality health care services, Swedish Covenant is investing in the lives of people in the community.”

The $10.4 million in emergency room improvements would involve 14,000 square feet of space in the hospital’s East Wing Building at 2739 W. Foster Ave. The work would include upgrades to 27 trauma and examinations rooms, the pharmacy, nurse’s station, waiting area, and mechanical systems. Work would be completed by spring 2016.
The $8 million Mayora Rosenberg Women’s Health Center would be constructed inside the hospital’s Galter Medical Pavilion at 5140 N. California Ave. The 16,800-sqaure-foot build-out would provide health-related services and resources for women. The facility would offer women-only patient areas, an all-female staff, and translation services in more than 180 languages. Already underway, the project is expected to be completed later this year.

More than 200 temporary construction jobs are projected to be generated by the $18.4 million project, along with 30 permanent jobs, including doctors, nurses and technicians.

Founded in 1886, Swedish Covenant Hospital is a comprehensive healthcare facility that serves Chicago’s North Side.