Silver Cross Hospital marks 5 years in New Lenox

NEW LENOX - Five years ago, Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. Since then, Silver Cross has cared for more than 1.3 million patients while continuing to bring new services and enhanced expertise to the residents of Will County.

"We have grown in both size and stature while remaining an independent health care provider," said Paul Pawlak, President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital. "By partnering with some of the most renowned organizations in the country, our patients receive the very best specialized care close to home."

One of the most successful partnerships is with University of Chicago Medicine bringing adult and pediatric cancer specialists and advanced and investigational therapies to the New Lenox campus. In the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital, which opened in June 2012, more than 2,000 patients have benefitted from cutting-edge chemotherapy, radiation therapy techniques, and over 150 clinical trials not typically found in a community hospital. Patients also take advantage of the weekly lung and breast cancer conferences in which a multidisciplinary group of cancer experts reviews patients' medical information and develops a plan of care all in one day so that they can begin treatment within the shortest time possible.

"Time is also of the essence when dealing with stroke and other neurological disorders," said Pawlak. "Through our partnerships with Northwestern Medicine Neurosciences and The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), we can diagnose stroke, administer tPA, remove blood clots, repair aneurysms, and help patients recover and rehabilitate all within our hospital walls. In the last 4 years, we've successfully performed over 650 interventions saving countless lives."

RIC has been helping inpatients and outpatients at Silver Cross Hospital achieve their ability since 2010. However since moving to the new building, they have expanded their programs to accommodate the growing need for lymphedema, cancer, pelvic disorders, postnatal, and adult speech therapy services. Last year, RIC expanded its outpatient facilities in Pavilion A on the Silver Cross campus and opened a Brain and Balance Clinic on Joliet's west side.