Hunter
09/05/22
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have announced plans to expand their often-congested emergency room facilities.
The Gazette reports that the preliminary timeline has construction on its north side beginning in February and wrapping in November 2024. Construction on the south side would start in May and finish in April 2024.
The emergency room expansion is part of the UIHC’s ten year master plan that includes a vertical expansion of the existing main campus, a new parking ramp and a new academic building.
Officials say the ER expansion is necessary because increased patient volumes have caused wait times to soar. The median ER stay for patients to be admitted was 5.3 hours in 2017; that figure leapt to 7.1 hours in 2021.
The expansion comes as construction continues on a $525.6 million hospital campus in North Liberty.