$18 million residential hospice center coming to Barrington

Barrington will soon be home to one of only three residential hospice facilities in Illinois.

On Monday, Barrington village trustees gave Hospice of Northeastern Illinois permission to build the $18 million Hospice Home and Center for Care, on 6.7 acres off Lake Zurich Road near Citizens Park.

The nearly 42,000-square-foot center will have 16 inpatient rooms, a family room with a children's play area, a dining room, clinical team space, staff and volunteer training rooms, a quiet/meditation room, the Center for Loss and Hope (bereavement support), and administrative offices.

Bill Ries, interim president and CEO of Hospice of Northeastern Illinois, said the new facility, specifically the 16 inpatient rooms, will permit them to serve an additional 1,100 patients a year, "on top of the 1,300 patients we already serve."

"I think we have created an atmosphere that is more like home than an institution," Ries added.

The facility will be built out of cedar and stone, and Barrington Trustee Steve Miller said the building will be beautiful. "It looks fantastic," he enthused.

"I think it is going to be a great addition to our community," Trustee Jeff Anderson added.

Taking into account the building's proximity to Citizens Park, the Center will be built in line with guidelines for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system. LEED certification recognizes a high standard of "green" construction and design.

"It just makes sense to be as environmentally friendly on this gorgeous site as we can be," Ries said. "It will be the first and only "green" hospice home in the state of Illinois."

A residential hospice center is operating in Joliet; and a second is under construction in Oregon, IL. Another one, the state's fourth, has been approved for construction in downstate Edwardsville.

Hospice officials said they have already raised $12.2 million for the project through private donations, including $3 million from Richard and Roxy Pepper of Barrington.

The new building will replace Hospice's current main facility on South Hager Street in Barrington.

Ries said they plan to break ground on the new center this fall, with an anticipated opening near the end of 2009.

Hospice of Northeastern Illinois is a community based, nonprofit organization serving families throughout McHenry, Lake, Cook, Kane, Boone and DuPage counties. For details, visit www.hospiceanswers.org.