University of Chicago Medical Center

University of Chicago Medicine
University of Chicago Medical Center
Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine
Geography
Location	Hyde Park, South Side of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Organisation
Funding	Private, nonprofit[1]
Hospital type	Inpatient and outpatient, specialty and primary care, teaching[1]
Affiliated university	University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Services
Emergency department	Level-I (pediatric trauma) Level-II and Level-III (NICU)[1]
Beds	805[1]
Helipad	Yes[1]
History
Founded	1899[2]
Links
Website	http://www.uchospitals.edu/
Lists	Hospitals in U.S.

The University of Chicago Medical Center, also known under the umbrella title of University of Chicago Medicine, is an American academic medical center in Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago that was established in 1899. Affiliated with and operated by the University of Chicago, it serves as the teaching hospital for students of the institution's Pritzker School of Medicine.

History

The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions, has been at the forefront of medical care since 1927, when it first opened to patients. Today, it comprises the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, a section committed to scientific discovery; and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine.^[3]

University of Chicago Medicine physicians are members of the University of Chicago Physicians Group, which includes about 900 physicians and covers the full array of medical and surgical specialties. The physicians are faculty members of the Pritzker School of Medicine.

These organizations are headed by Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Dean of the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine, and executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago.^[4]

Trauma center controversy

In 1988, the University of Chicago Medicine decided not to renew its application to be part of the city of Chicago's adult trauma network. At the time, the decision was made to concentrate resources in the clinical specialties where the medical center could play the greatest role. Calls for a new adult level 1 trauma center surfaced after the death of Damian Turner, an 18-year-old who was killed by gunshot in August 2010. Representatives of the academic medical center have said that an adult level 1 trauma center is not something it can undertake alone and requires coordination by the city, state and other health care providers in the area. In addition, hospital representatives have said that building an adult trauma center would compromise the other distinct and critically important services for the community, such as The South Side's only level 1 trauma center for children, the South Side's only burn unit, its emergency departments for adults and children and the neonatal intensive care unit. Protesters have suggested that the University of Chicago should not be seeking financial support to attract the presidential library of Barack Obama without first committing to reopening an adult trauma facility.^{[5] [6] [7]} In December 2015, the University announced that it would be restarting the level 1 trauma center at the hospital. Construction on a new emergency room connected to the Center for Care and Discovery is planned to be completed by mid-2018.

Announced Expansion

In December 2015, the university announced that it will be expanding the University of Chicago Medical Center. The expansion will include an overhauled cancer treatment facility and a new adult level 1 trauma center. The center will include 188 additional beds and will increase the hospital to its biggest size since the 1970s. The expansion is a response to increased demand for bed space, as the medical center has been operating near capacity.^[8][9] The trauma center is expected to be completed in 2018, and the remainder of the expansion should be finished by 2022.

Composition

University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital

University of Chicago Medicine consists of:^[1]

• Center for Care and Discovery, the primary adult inpatient care facility (opened in 2013 at a cost of $700 million)
• Bernard A. Mitchell Hospital, adult inpatient care facility which houses the Burn and Complex Wound Center
• Comer Children's Hospital, including the University's Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center
• University of Chicago Medicine Family Birth Center, a maternity and women's hospital
• Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine, an outpatient care facility
• Pritzker School of Medicine
• The Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery (KCBD)
• regional physician offices located throughout the Chicago area

Recognition

In 2007, the University of Chicago Medical Center was again ranked among the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The 2010 rankings by U.S. News & World Report included the following 11 adult medical specialties: digestive disorders (6), cancer (15), endocrinology (18), kidney disease (21), respiratory disorders (21), heart (27), urology (28), geriatrics (29), gynecology (34), neurology and neurosurgery (36) and, ear, nose, and throat (38).^[10] Until 2012, it was the only hospital in Illinois ever to be included on the magazine's "Honor Roll" of the best hospitals in the United States, and has made this coveted list 10 times. Former first lady Michelle Obama was part of staff there

In 2016, the hospital was ranked third in Illinois ^[11]

References

External links

• University of Chicago Medicine
• University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital