MercyRockford Health System breaks ground on new Cherry Valley clinic

By Matt Helm
Reporter
CHERRY VALLEY ─ The MercyRockford Health System held a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of its Rockford Health Physicians Cherry Valley clinic, located at 1475 S. Perryville Road on Feb. 12.
“Improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve is central to our mission, and we are continually researching areas where health care services are needed,” President and CEO of MercyRockford Health System Javon R. Bea said.
“We are excited the digging has begun and soon construction will be underway. Before you know it, we will be providing Cherry Valley and the southeast quadrant of Rockford a beautiful clinic with medical diagnostic services close to home.”
The project will cost an estimated $3.5 million. The 8,000 square foot facility will provide care for all ages including family medicine, podiatry, lab and x-ray services and sports medicine.
“Cherry Valley was one of the areas we assessed needed health care services,” Bea said. “Family and sports Dr. Brian Michalsen will relocate his practice to this new location. The YMCA will be our next door neighbors which is kind of neat, so we look forward to treating sports injuries from there as needed.”
According to the drawings and proposals the new building will feature “floor to ceiling windows in the spacious lobby, providing energy efficient construction to support the green initiatives of MercyRockford.”
The project will bring six new positions to the facility. The Cherry Valley location is expected to be complete in the fall of 2016.
MercyRockford also has plans to open a new regional specialty referral hospital and medical center on I-90 and Riverside Blvd.
“Senator Dave Syverson and I met with Governor Bruce Rauner to share with him a summary of the tremendous contributions the MercyRockford project on I-90 and Riverside Blvd will make to the Rockford region and to Illinois. To say the governor was excited about our project is an understatement,” Bea said.
The new hospital will feature a “state of the art” women’s and children’s hospital.
“The new hospital reflects our commitment to providing the highest level of care for women and children in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin,” Bea said. “The location is convenient for patients on both sides of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. Additionally the facility will provide jobs for physicians, caregivers and support staff.”
The hospital will cost $485 million, making it the largest project of this nature in Rockford.
MercyRockford promises economic growth and viability for Rockford and the state of Illinois, including 1,500 new jobs and 300 acres supporting the economic development of hotels, restaurants and convenience stores.
MercyRockford is the largest provider of Medicaid services. The women’s and children’s hospital will generate nearly $30 million annually in referrals from Wisconsin facilities that will “allow for the continued hospital services on the west side of Rockford.”
The Cherry Valley facility will refer its patients to the 1-90 and Riverside Blvd. location. The hospital will finish construction in January 2019.
“The new hospital will benefit our entire region,” Bea said. “We are very excited to offer such a wide array of new specialists to meet the needs of our patients.”
More information on the MercyRockford Health System can be found at mercyrockford.org.