Mercyhealth holds dedication, blessing and ribbon cutting at Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside

Submitted photo The Journal
Mercyhealth’s official dedication, blessing and ribbon cutting to the new Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside brought hundreds of invited guests to a ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Mercyhealth holds dedication, blessing and ribbon cutting at Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside
Mercyhealth’s official dedication, blessing and ribbon cutting to the new Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside brought hundreds of invited guests to a ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
“Today marks a very special moment as we formally dedicate and bless Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside, which will be providing healing and life-saving services to the residents living in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin,” said Mercyhealth President & CEO Javon R. Bea, whom the hospital’s board named the new facility after.
The new Riverside Campus was blessed by Monsignor Daniel Deutsch, the Pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Loves Park. The 563,000 square foot, 194-bed hospital will serve adults and children.
Mercyhealth broke ground on the new 6-story, $505 million hospital and physician clinic on June 6, 2016–28 months ago. Since that time, Bea said AECOM, Mortenson and all the contractors, as well as Mercyhealth Vice President of Architecture and Facilities, Joanna Benning, who led the construction project, ensured its timely progress. Over 2,000 employee/partners have spent 34,000 hours of education and training on the processes and procedures related to the new equipment.
“It has been so incredible getting to this point working together in my hometown,” said Bea, as he gave a heartfelt thank you to the crowd. “It is difficult for people not involved to understand the magnitude and scope of a project like this, but I can tell you, it has been truly remarkable.”
At the dedication, blessing and ribbon cutting of the new hospital, Bea was joined by Mercyhealth Board Chairman Rowland “Rollie” McClellan, as well as Illinois State Senator Dave Syverson, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, Winnebago County Chairman Frank Haney, Rockford Chamber of Commerce President Einar Forsman, and Rockford Area Economic Development Council CEO Nathan Bryant, who all praised the economic benefits of Mercyhealth brining a new, state-of-the-art hospital to the region as well as continuing the operations of a hospital on Rockford’s west side.
“Whether it was Harvard or Janesville or Lake Geneva or all the other locations, when Mercy comes into that community, you can count on increased health care services, more staffing, more investments being made, and in each of those communities you see improved outcomes,” said Syverson, who has sat on Mercyhealth’s board for 15 years.
Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside will complement the $50 million commitment already made to the Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Rockton, which will continue to provide exceptional health care services for all ages.
Mercyhealth is a multi-regional health system with more than 750 employed physician partners, seven hospitals and 85 primary and specialty care locations throughout 55 northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin communities. Mercyhealth’s 8,000 employee/partners care for over 2.4 million patients each year. As the top vertically integrated health care provider, they continuously work with a passion for making lives better for the people, families and communities they serve.
Opening in January 2019, Mercyhealth’s $505 million Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside, located on I-90 and Riverside Boulevard in Rockford, will serve as the regional hub for highly specialized hospital and clinical care for adults and children. It will include more than 55 pediatric specialists, the only state-designated Children’s Hospital in northern Illinois, the state-designated Regional Perinatal Center, the region’s largest Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the region’s only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, the region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, as well as a Level I emergency/trauma center. Their highly specialized, hybrid technology and surgical suites allow families to stay right here in Rockford for their medical care.