UI Health Care North Liberty campus set to open April 28
Public invited to open house and celebration April 12
The University of Iowa Health Care medical campus in North Liberty, Iowa—the first newly constructed hospital facility away from UI Health Care’s university campus—will welcome its first patients to the medical center’s orthopedic clinics and operating rooms, orthopedic injury walk-in clinic, and emergency department on Monday, April 28, 2025.
Located at the corner of Forevergreen Road and Highway 965 in North Liberty, the campus joins UI Health Care’s university and downtown campuses, providing greater access to patient care services for the community, state, and region. The North Liberty location will serve as the new home for the UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, which includes UI Sports Medicine. An emergency department with a Level 4 trauma center, plus 24-hour drive-thru pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, and clinical lab services also will be available.
“This is a historic moment for UI Health Care,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “We know more Iowans want access to our care and expertise. This new campus will make it easier for patients to receive nationally recognized, comprehensive orthopedics care, emergency treatments, and other services closer to where they live here in the community and surrounding areas. Patients from across Iowa with orthopedic care needs also will have greater access and convenience at our North Liberty location.
“We think patients and families will be impressed—and excited—about the facilities and, ultimately, their care experience at North Liberty,” Jamieson adds. “We’re eager to share what we’ve built for Iowans and how it will increase access to our patient care services while also advancing medical research and education.”
UI Health Care staff and the public are invited to an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 12. Tours of the new North Liberty medical center will be available. The campus green space around the facility will feature autograph sessions with select Iowa Hawkeye athletes, food trucks, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities for kids, and games and demonstrations for all ages. In case of inclement weather, select outdoor activities will move inside the medical center.
Greater access—and convenience—to orthopedics, rehabilitation, sports medicine care and expertise
The North Liberty campus will provide a full range of musculoskeletal care—surgery and inpatient care, outpatient clinic services, advanced diagnostic imaging, and a walk-in clinic specifically for acute orthopedic injuries—all under one roof. The North Liberty medical center also will serve as the primary location for UI Sports Medicine services.
Patient flow within the North Liberty medical center will create a seamless experience for patients. Diagnostic imaging is integrated on each clinic floor, for example—orthopedic patients will be able to get a scan and then proceed directly to their clinic exam room.
For patients receiving orthopedic surgery, an on-site anesthesia clinic will offer same-day preoperative care. Outpatient orthopedic surgery and outpatient follow-up care after discharge also will be available at the North Liberty medical center. And with pharmacy and physical therapy/rehab services also on-site, orthopedic patients will be able to get their medication prescriptions and rehab after their clinic appointment or procedure before leaving the campus.
“We’ve always provided the most comprehensive treatments and follow-up care for orthopedic patients—from the routine to the most complex and challenging musculoskeletal problems,” says J. Lawrence Marsh, MD, chair of the UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. “With our new hospital, we’ll be able to provide even greater care and service to patients in our community and from across the state. In terms of size and scope of services, there isn’t another center like this in Iowa.”
North Liberty campus facts, figures, features
The 60-acre campus holds a three-level hospital and five-level medical office building with outpatient clinics and space for clinical research and teaching activities. The 469,000-square-foot facility includes:
- 36 inpatient beds
- 84 clinic exam rooms
- 14 emergency care rooms
- 12 operating rooms
- 2 procedure rooms
- Retail pharmacy, with 24-hour drive-thru
- Advanced diagnostic imaging, including MRI, CT (computed tomography), ultrasound, EOS, fluoroscopy, and DEXA (bone density screening)
- Physical therapy services, with indoor/outdoor rehab spaces
- Walk-in clinic for same-day treatment of acute orthopedic injuries
- Clinical lab services, including phlebotomy
- Orthotics and prosthetics
- Dedicated space for teaching, research, and community education programs
- Cafeteria and gift shop
Find out more about the North Liberty campus
North Liberty campus will create new opportunities at university campus
Providing greater access and convenience for patients at the North Liberty campus will help meet increased demand for musculoskeletal care as Iowans age and need complex, coordinated care.
The relocation of orthopedics and rehabilitation services also will create available space for other care services, medical education and training, and clinical research at the university campus, notes Brad Haws, MBA, CEO of UI Health Care’s clinical enterprise.
“Space at our university campus is in high demand—nearly all of our clinical departments can use additional space to treat patients, teach students and trainees, and conduct clinical research,” Haws says. “We will be intentional in planning how to renovate newly available space and determining what services may move or expand at our university—and downtown—campuses.”
At the Feb. 27 meeting of the Iowa Board of Regents, UI Health Care leaders received permission to proceed with planning for multiple renovation projects at the university campus over the next decade.
