Donations for Good Shepherd renovations reach milestone

The four-year, $247 million campus modernization project at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington isn't yet halfway done, but thanks to Barrington-area donors, fundraising efforts are more than 80 percent complete.

Hospital spokeswoman Erin Abbey said more than $20.5 million has been raised toward the completion of the project which will add private patient rooms, better technology and more convenient access to inpatient and outpatient services to the 36-year old hospital.

At the project's groundbreaking ceremony in October 2013, Barbara and Paul Hills, the co-chairs of the fundraising committee, set the fundraising goal at $25 million.

Alison Wyler, the executive sponsor of the campus modernization project, said the renovation work has been proceeding on schedule and the hospital is already seeing some benefits from the work.

"It's really exciting being able to just see the changes every day," Wyler said. "We've opened some departments and are able to see the progress that has come from them."

Among the largest improvements is a large four-story addition on the north side of the building that will add significant space to the hospital. Some of that room will be used to accommodate the hospital's shift to single-patient only rooms, meaning roommates will be a thing of the past by 2016.

Crews built most of the exterior of the building in 2014, and the primary focus this year will be on the interior.

There will be significant exterior work this year to the south side of the building, which will be the hospital's new main entrance.

Wyler said one part of the project that will be completed in 2015 is the Outpatient Diagnostic Testing Center, which she described as a "one-stop shop" for patients. The center, the first phase of which opened in November but will be fully operational later this year, combines several outpatient departments into one location.

"A nice thing about it is it has the ability to be accessible for patients," Wyler said. "Today they may be going to multiple locations for services that will all be in one place (when the center opens)."

The center is located near the future site of the new main entrance on the south of the building, making it easier for patients to access after the entrance is completed in 2016.

The entire modernization project is scheduled to be complete in the summer of 2017.

Those interesting in donating to the project can call the hospital's Vice President of Development, Sue Abderholden, at (847) 842-4026.