Much has changed in the world—and in health care—since we began developing a roadmap for future facility improvements in alignment with the university’s 10-year campus master plan. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to improve our campus facilities for our faculty, staff, students, volunteers, patients, and visitors.
Your feedback from the May 2021 master plan survey helped us turn insights into a future vision on how to renovate and modernize our facilities to continue to serve Iowans. This vision was unanimously approved by the Board of Regents in January to proceed with planning. The plans launched so far are the start of much more to come as part of our 10-year campus master plan, but we wanted to provide an update on several early projects that are moving into the planning process:
Expansion: Emergency Department (ED)
- We’ve seen a significant increase in complex patients, including complex psychiatric patients, visiting the ED over the last few years. To meet this need and improve the flow of patients through the ED, we are planning an ED expansion project. Some highlights include expanded space for behavioral health, a relocation of the crisis stabilization unit to be adjacent to the ED, a new dedicated pediatric space with separate exam rooms and waiting area, and supportive technology like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve workflow.
More parking: West Campus Parking Ramp
- We understand how important it is for us to improve parking for our employees, learners, patients, and visitors. Working in partnership with other campus leaders, plans are now being developed to construct a ramp beginning in spring 2023 north of the West Campus Transportation Center within Lot 43. This new West Campus Parking Ramp will provide more than 900 spaces, including parking for employees. Parking and Transportation is working to minimize the impacts of construction on existing parking and will be working closely with our teams.
Vertical expansion: John Pappajohn Pavilion
- We know that UI Hospitals & Clinics does not have enough beds to serve all patients that need to be seen now and into the future. As one part of the solution, we are planning to add two floors on John Pappajohn Pavilion, creating an additional inpatient unit on the new level nine, by the summer of 2025. Mechanical equipment to support all floors will be moved to a new level 10, and the existing floors seven and eight will be renovated to add additional capacity.
It’s exciting to see progress toward our 10-year campus master plan vision, which will include a patient care tower, made possible by a $70 million gift from the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation. It’s also important to remember that we are very early in the process, and plans will continue to evolve. Many of the projects in the master plan relate to and rely upon each other, so there is much to work through to coordinate timing and campus impacts.
Please know that we appreciate your input as we look to the future and will continue to share developments with you as projects progress.
Brooks Jackson, MD, MBA
University of Iowa Vice President for Medical Affairs & the Tyrone D. Artz Dean, Carver College of Medicine
Patricia Winokur, MD
Executive Dean, Carver College of Medicine
Kimberly D. Hunter, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nurse Executive, UI Hospitals & Clinics
Interim Associate Vice President, UI Health Care