Chicago-Area Hospitals Receive Millions In Grants

Chicago-area hospitals will receive a significant infusion of funding as part of a state stimulus act.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn disbursed $47 million to 14 hospitals in Cook County last week that participate in the “Illinois Jobs Now” program, which encourages capital infrastructure projects.

Although the disbursements are relatively modest – they averaged $3.4 million, about the cost of building a couple of hospital beds from the ground up – Quinn insisted that as a whole, they would be good for the state's economy.

“These investments create hundreds of good construction jobs while helping these hospitals provide better service to the thousands of patients they serve every single day,” he said.

The recipients include Mercy Hospital to renovate its patient tower, Mt. Sinai Hospital to undergo general renovations, and Roseland Community Hospital to renovate its surgery and obstetrics areas.

“These grants will greatly help Mount Sinai and Holy Cross Hospitals, both part of Sinai Health System, create necessary and vital improvements,” said Sinai Health System Chief Executive Officer Alan Channing. “Each hospital is a critical part of the Illinois healthcare safety net and will make excellent use of this funding to better care for patients in challenged communities.”

All of those recipients received $3.5 million apiece, the maximum allotted. Twelve of the hospitals in total received that amount, while two others, St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, Ill. and MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, Ill., received $2.3 million. The money will be used for either new construction, renovation, or to purchase equipment.

To date, Quinn's program has disbursed $150 million in construction funds to hospitals across Illinois.