Advocate Health Care to invest $1B in Chicago’s South Side, including new hospital

CHICAGO - Advocate Health Care announced it plans to spend $1 billion to expand healthcare access on Chicago’s South Side, including the construction of a new hospital to replace Trinity Hospital.

The healthcare provider said the investment aims to close the 30-year life expectancy gap between residents of Chicago’s South Side and residents on the North Side, according to a news release.

"This visionary initiative, rooted in the voices and ideas of South Side residents, takes direct aim at the systemic inequities that have persisted for generations," said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in a statement.

Expanding outpatient care

Part of the investment includes $500 million going toward expanding outpatient care on the South Side. Advocate said the expansion would lead to 85,000 more appointments that residents can make annually for both primary care and specialists.

Advocate will add 10 new "neighborhood care" locations, including the first at the South Side YMCA in the coming months and two more next year.

New hospital

Advocate plans to spend $300 million to build a new 52-bed hospital at the former U.S. Steel South Works site near the lakefront.

The new hospital will replace the existing Advocate Trinity Hospital building, which is more than 115 years old, Advocate said. The current building will continue to be used until the new hospital opens.

The new hospital will be LEED certified and carbon neutral, Advocate said, which represents a more environmentally conscious project for a part of the city that's seen disproportionate effects from pollution.

Along with the construction of new facilities, Advocate said it will hire more than 1,000 new workers within the next three years throughout the South Side area. It also said it plans to keep each of its employees currently working on the South Side.

Advocate did not give a specific timeline for the construction of the new hospital.