Franciscan Health breaks ground on new urgent care clinic

Franciscan Health broke ground to mark the start of the construction for its new urgent care clinic in Chicago Heights.

Scheduled to open in the second half of 2022, the new Franciscan Health Urgent Care will be located on the southwest corner of Lincoln Highway (14th Street) and Otto Boulevard in a modern, free-standing brick, masonry and glass building with accents of metal on the exterior designed by Anderson Mikos Architects, Ltd. The new free-standing facility will include 11 exam rooms, a triage room, a procedure room, laboratory space and an imaging/x-ray area in its approximately 10,200 square feet of space.

The new facility will be easily accessible from all of Chicago Heights, as well as the surrounding Southland communities of Flossmoor, Ford Heights, Glenwood, Park Forest, South Chicago Heights, Steger and more.

The groundbreaking ceremony was led by Allan M. Spooner, president and CEO of Franciscan Health’s South Suburban Chicago Division; Sister Jane Marie Klein, OSF, chairwoman of Franciscan Alliance, Inc., and Chicago Heights mayor David A. Gonzalez.

“Throughout the years, Franciscan Health has successfully fulfilled its mission by adapting to the latest advances in healthcare,” Spooner said. “Recent years have brought dramatic changes. As a result, today’s patients have come to expect easily accessible, high quality ambulatory care.”

“This groundbreaking continues the legacy the Franciscan sisters started 111 years ago,” Sister Jane Marie said. “This new freestanding urgent care center will serve the immediate needs of the Chicago Heights community. It will be built on the firm foundation of our mission and Franciscan values.”

“On behalf of the City of Chicago Heights, our elected officials and our residents, I want thank Franciscan Health for their commitment and assurance that there is going to be affordable healthcare on this site,” said Mayor Gonzalez. “This is just the start of developing this whole parcel.”

The fact that Franciscan Health chose to construct its new urgent care facility on the site of the former Chicago Heights hospital campus is no accident.

“This investment on the grounds of our former hospital campus is excellent evidence of our ongoing commitment to the Chicago Heights area,” Spooner said. “It is part of our mission-driven, modern system of care that includes centralized emergency, inpatient, outpatient and specialty care in Olympia Fields, plus primary, preventive and urgent care services at sites throughout the Southland.”

The new facility will replace the existing Franciscan Urgent Care located at 30 E. 15th Street in Chicago Heights, which remains open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the project.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION:

The ground is broken on the new Franciscan Health Urgent Care clinic in Chicago Heights by (l-r) Bonnie Mobley, director of nursing, Emergency Services; Allan M. Spooner, president and CEO of Franciscan Health South Suburban Chicago Division; Sister Margaret Mary Mitchel, OSF, Provincial Vicar, Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration; Sister Jane Marie Klein, OSF, Chairwoman of the Franciscan Alliance, Inc. board of trustees; Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez; Kevin Leahy, president and CEO of Franciscan Alliance, Inc.; Terry Brown, Chairperson of the Franciscan Health South Suburban Chicago Division board of directors; Timothy Lentz, senior program manager, Tonn & Blank Construction, LLC.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION:

The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration break ground on the new Franciscan Health Urgent Care clinic in Chicago Heights (l-r) Sister Margaret Mary Mitchel, OSF; Sister M. Rachel Dinet, OSF; Sister Jane Marie Klein, OSF; Sister M. Madonna Rougeau, OSF; Sister M. Ruth Luthman, OSF; Sister Lethia Marie Leveille, OSF.