Northwestern Memorial breaks ground for women's facility.

2003 JUN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Northwestern Memorial Hospital begins a new chapter in its rich history, as state and local officials, community leaders, and members of the staff broke ground to celebrate its new Prentice Women's Hospital.

The planned 1 million square foot facility - which will rank as one of the top three maternity centers nationally when it opens in 2007 - will establish Chicago as home to the country's largest special care infant center. Additionally, the new hospital and its programs and services dedicated specifically to women through all stages of life, will pioneer an innovative model of healthcare delivery, with an ever-expanding focus on world-class, integrated care programs for women from adolescence to geriatrics.

Housed on its current site at 333 Superior since 1975, Prentice will move to 250 East Superior Street (site of the former Wesley Pavilion.

"With the opportunity to build a new Prentice comes the unparalleled opportunity to establish a new model of comprehensive healthcare for women and create one of the world's premier women's hospitals here in the heart of Chicago," said Gary Mecklenburg, president and CEO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare.

"We know the medical needs of women, even for similar conditions, are different than those of men, and that women are in a demanding and over-burdened role as the primary healthcare decision-makers for their entire family, not just themselves. The needs and demand for comprehensive, life-spanning women's healthcare is moving in one direction - up, and Northwestern Memorial will not only respond, we will set the standard," added Mecklenburg.

The current Prentice Women's Hospital will soon exceed capacity as the number of deliveries has more than tripled from when the current building opened, from almost 3000 per year in the mid 1970s to more than 9000 deliveries in 2002.

In 2007, the new Prentice ...