CHICAGO (WLS) — $1 billion is earmarked for health care on Chicago's South Side.
This is a tremendous investment by Advocate Health Care, changing the lives of some of those who need it most.
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There was a standing ovation for investment coming to the South Side on Tuesday.
“They told me I couldn't tell anyone until today,” South Side resident Betty Porter said.
She said it was “very difficult” to keep a secret.
Porter was one of hundreds of community members who participated in the hearings, so Advocate Health could get direct feedback.
“In the recovery room, the walls were gray and there were no windows. So, we walked in, and it was almost like a morgue,” Porter said. “Maybe they'll get a window or two. They've changed that.”
Adding windows and brighter colors to the recovery rooms at Advocate Trinity Hospital in the Calumet Heights neighborhood is just the beginning.
The investment also means the construction of a modern hospital on 23 acres on the lakefront.
It will be part of the new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Complex.
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“We don't want to be in the hospital. We want to live our best lives,” said Dr. Michelle Blakely, of Advocate Trinity Hospital.
It also includes expanding outpatient care, chronic disease management, and increasing the workforce.
“I spoke with Michelle, a West Siders who can apply for these jobs, a thousand jobs,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
It comes as data shows people who live on the South Side live 30 years less than those who live on the city's North Side.
It's personal for Michelle Blakely, president of Advocate Trinity who was born and raised a South Sider.
“It's a lot easier to connect with the community when you're from the community,” Blakely said.
Part of the investment is to increase the number of mobile trucks and staffing trucks.
They bring along virtual reality headsets to simulate what it's like to work in a hospital.
The goal is to meet people where they are, no matter where they come from.
“This is an answered prayer,” Porter said.
Advocate Health says they hope to begin construction on the new hospital by the end of next year, and have it open by 2029.
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