One year away: UI Health Care North Liberty campus
New hospital and medical office building expected to open in spring 2025
As construction continues at the site of the University of Iowa Health Care campus in North Liberty, Iowa, officials are looking ahead to the spring 2025 opening of the new medical campus.
“This is our first construction of a new hospital away from the university campus, so there’s a lot of momentum and excitement for the North Liberty campus,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “Each day, we’re making progress and moving a step closer to something truly historic and transformational for UI Health Care.”
Increased access to patient care, plus research and teaching space
Upon completion and opening, the North Liberty campus will join UI Health Care’s university and downtown campuses for the provision of patient care services. The project is part of a broader master plan to modernize facilities and expand access for complex and critical patient care to Iowans while facilitating clinical research and education.
Located at the corner of Forevergreen Road and Highway 965 in North Liberty, the 60-acre campus will feature a three-level hospital and a five-level medical office building with outpatient clinics and space for research and teaching activities. The structures also will include shell space for future expansion.
The North Liberty campus will initially feature:
- 84 clinic exam rooms
- 12 operating rooms
- Two procedure rooms
- 14 emergency care rooms
- 36 inpatient beds
- Walk-in care for orthopedic injuries
- Teaching and research space
- Space for community education programs
- State-of-the-art physical therapy and rehabilitation space
- On-site surface parking for easy access
- Retail and drive-thru pharmacy
- Lab services
- Comprehensive diagnostic imaging services
- Cafeteria, gift shop, DME (durable medical equipment), and other amenities
Access to emergency care, new home for orthopedics and sports medicine
The North Liberty campus is a phased development, with the first phase involving the offering of emergency care in the North Liberty community and the relocation of orthopedic care services, which includes sports medicine, spine, total joint replacement and other orthopedic subspecialty services. The ability to provide greater access and convenience for patients at the North Liberty campus will help meet the growing demand for musculoskeletal care. Complex orthopedic care will continue to be supported at the university campus.
After orthopedics moves to North Liberty, the vacated space on the university campus will be used to expand other care services, medical education, and research.
“We are excited about what the North Liberty campus will mean for the future of our department and for UI Health Care,” says J. Lawrence Marsh, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. “We are expanding our educational programs, co-locating our research with our patient care, and we will offer improved access to one-stop coordinated care for orthopedic patients. In addition to offering emergency medicine and other services for patients, as well as new research and teaching space and capabilities, this new hospital will be one of the premier orthopedic centers in the country.”
Along with a full array of orthopedic services, the North Liberty campus will provide emergency care, imaging, lab, pharmacy, and pre-surgical evaluation to all types of patients.
Construction progress overview
Following are updates on work at the site:
- The facility’s exterior cladding, made of precast concrete, is complete. Final window installation is ongoing. Exterior signage displaying the new UI Health Care branding will be installed later this year. Exterior site grading continues in preparation for an outdoor field for physical therapy and rehabilitation as part of sports medicine services.
- Interior drywall installation has been completed. Installation of flooring, ceiling grids and panels, electrical systems, duct work, air handling systems, and painting is underway and continuing.
- Work on the campus’ central utilities plant (separate from the hospital and medical office building) is nearing completion, with major mechanical equipment—generators, chilling towers, and boilers—in place.
Work to continue through end of 2024
The North Liberty campus is on schedule and on budget, and construction will continue throughout the summer and fall.
Substantial construction completion of the project is expected by the end of December 2024. The first several months of 2025 will be dedicated to installing medical equipment, furniture and supplies, IT equipment and infrastructure, and recruiting and training staff in preparation for opening the new campus.
“It’s thrilling to see the progress and how the site is now bringing to life our design renderings, thanks to the incredible efforts and coordination of our campus, architectural, and construction partners,” says Amy O’Deen, BSN, MHA, FACHE, senior associate director for UI Health Care’s clinical enterprise and chief administrative officer for the North Liberty campus. “We anticipate being ready to welcome patients to this world-class facility one year from now and are confident this landmark development for UI Health Care will benefit generations of Iowans for years to come.”
