Hunter
01/06/23
After the State Health Facilities Council rejected University of Iowa’s Health Care’s proposal for a hospital in North Liberty because of its focus on orthopedics, they approved a second application changing the focus to complex care. Now that the project is underway, UIHC has referred to the project as an orthopedic hospital again.
The Gazette reports that a 2022 year-in-review email from Larry Marsh, who’s been chair and executive officer of the UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation for nearly a decade, states that In 2025, the department will be moved to a, quote, “new musculoskeletal hospital in North Liberty.” Marsh goes on to state that the emerging hospital on 60 acres of land between Highway 965 and Interstate 380 as having a floor dedicated to orthopedics.
UIHC officials told the Gazette in December that they weren’t yet able to say how much of the space at the hospital would be allocated to various services, but acknowledged that one of the initial services offered at the hospital once it opens in 2025 will be orthopedics and sports medicine. They cited an increasing demand for ortho services and the need for a more convenient and accessible drive-up location for patients with mobility challenges.
Hospitals based in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids opposed the original proposal, saying their orthopedic departments weren’t at capacity, and that adding another orthopedic hospital could put them out of business. They argued that the UIHC focus on expanding their unique patient care services.