PMB and UChicago Medicine open 132,000-square-foot multispecialty care center in Crown Point, Indiana

Advanced Care for the Community - This new 132,000 square-foot multispecialty care center and micro-hospital in Northwest Indiana is the largest off-site facility for the academic health system.

CROWN POINT, Ind., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PMB is proud to announce the opening of the University of Chicago Medicine's new 132,000-square-foot multispecialty care center in Northwest Indiana, bringing academic medicine-level care to the area's growing community. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place the evening of Thursday, April 25. The center, located at 10855 Virginia St., Crown Point, Indiana, is the first freestanding facility in Indiana by UChicago Medicine and its largest offsite location. View the grand opening video here.

Opening its doors to patients starting this week, this development comes as a response to a market assessment by UChicago Medicine that found approximately 15% of Northwest Indiana patients were traveling outside the region for medical care. Of these patients, 1 in 5 were patients of UChicago Medicine.

Following a nationwide search, UChicago Medicine contracted with healthcare developer PMB to execute all aspects of the project, from locating and purchasing the land parcel to hiring and coordinating with the architecture and construction firms. "It's really about shifting risk and all execution responsibilities to a third party," says Jake Rohe, managing partner and president at PMB. "Healthcare institutions are in the business of delivering care in a very regulated and dynamic environment. Partnering with a dedicated healthcare developer can augment their resources and provide all the necessary controls to the health system. We can get the same project and scope of work to market faster and more efficiently, and we can do it at a better price point while still operating in a true partnership with the sponsoring health system." 

The design team, led by Brad Hinthorne in Seattle and Jennifer Riddle Curley in Chicago, sought to create a patient-focused experience that reinforces the UChicago Medicine identity and brand. The two-story, 132,000-square-foot structure is bright and welcoming, with a double-height entry that leads to imaging, ambulatory surgery, and the cancer center, which occupies two floors. Medical offices, building support, and shelled space for future growth occupy the remainder of the second floor. The sixteen-bed micro-hospital has its own entrance and waiting area adjacent to the main entrance.

With the establishment of UChicago Medicine Crown Point, residents of Northwest Indiana will have access to a wide range of advanced healthcare services. These include pediatric services provided by UChicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital and cancer treatment from the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. The new center will also offer several features such as doctors' offices for outpatient appointments, infusion therapy, radiation and medical/surgical oncology for cancer patients, MRI, CT, PET, X-ray and ultrasound imaging capabilities along with a breast imaging center, an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), and advanced laboratory services.

Moreover, the center will provide access to advanced treatments through UChicago Medicine's comprehensive clinical trials program. There will be a small emergency department and inpatient unit as well. The Crown Point team will coordinate with the University of Chicago Medical Center (hub of the UChicago Medicine health system) and local hospitals to transfer emergency department patients requiring more complex emergency care.

This initiative builds on UChicago Medicine's longstanding presence in Northwest Indiana. UChicago Medicine also operates clinics in Merrillville, Munster and Schererville and acquired four regional oncology centers from Michiana Hematology Oncology last September.

The opening of the Crown Point facility underscores the commitment of UChicago Medicine to expand its reach and offer high-quality healthcare services for complex care to a larger population. This new center will serve as a beacon of hope for the community, ensuring seamless access to world-class healthcare for all residents of Northwest Indiana.

"This ceremony is an incredible milestone for the entire Project Team," says Jake Rohe, Managing Partner and President of PMB. "The commitment and investment UChicago Medicine is making in this community will significantly impact the region, and we're honored to be a small part of this major initiative."

In addition to developer PMB, other partners in the project include Walsh Construction and the architecture and design firm Perkins & Will. The lender is First Horizon Bank and Harrison Street is the Capital Partner.

About PMB
PMB is a purpose-driven healthcare real estate developer with a mission to improve healthcare delivery, effect change, and positively impact communities. Our company is 100 percent focused on healthcare real estate across the continuum of care including behavioral health, life sciences, ambulatory care centers, medical office buildings, inpatient hospitals, post-acute hospitals, senior living facilities, and parking structures. PMB has developed over 130 facilities to date representing approximately 6.5 million square feet. The firm owns and manages 70 medical facilities comprising over 5.5 million square feet. For more information, please visit our website at www.pmbllc.com.

SOURCE PMB