Regional Medical District Coming to Cedar Rapids

By Dave Franzman, Reporter

Tools

By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Oct 27, 2009 at 10:09 AM CST

Story Updated: Oct 27, 2009 at 4:41 PM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS - A new regional medical district is coming to Cedar Rapids. The city of Cedar Rapids, St. Luke's Hospital, Mercy Medical Center and Physicians Clinic of Iowa are all entering a cooperative venture.

The Physicians Clinic of Iowa plans to consolidate five offices into a 180,000 square foot outpatient facility or 'medical mall'. It will be located along 10th Street SE in Cedar Rapids, running between the two hospitals, Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke's. There are a number of medical facilities in that area already, but this would be an effort to develop more, and hopefully attract patients from around the region.

"Anyone who lives within 90 minutes of Cedar Rapids has reason to want to have their medical treatment, especially their specials, to be done in Cedar Rapids," said Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran.

The plan to consolidate the five Physicians Clinic of Iowa offices is about a $40-million proposal. The plan is to make the preparations to start work sometime next year, perhaps opening by 2012 or 2013.

The PCI building would be the biggest new building along the district. The hope is that more new buildings would follow.

The three anchoring medical partners will establish a Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) to form a governance system to manage and implement improvements. The city will provide infrastructure improvements to support the new district, including a new streetscape, lighting, parking and traffic circulation throughout the area.

The Cedar Rapids City Council will take formal action on a Memorandum of Understanding sighed by PCI, Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital at the Wednesday, October 28, council meeting.