Community to Get First Look at Advocate Christ Outpatient Pavilion

Advocate Christ Medical Center’s presence in Oak Lawn has grown by 325,000 square feet to meet the increased health care needs of patients in Chicago and the entire Southland region.   

That’s because the medical center’s long-awaited, $202 million, state-of-the-art Outpatient Pavilion, with its alluring high-tech, glass design, is only a month away from opening its doors to patients. To celebrate, the medical center will give area residents a first look at the new facility by hosting a Community Open House on Saturday, March 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Pavilion is located on the northeast corner of West 95th Street and Kilbourn Avenue in Oak Lawn.   

“I’m so grateful for the care I received [at Christ Medical Center’s Cancer Institute] after being diagnosed with stage III breast cancer,” said Lynn Corriveau, breast cancer survivor.  “So much so, I’m excited to give back.  My goal is to start volunteering at Gilda’s Club, which will be located in the new Pavilion, and I will continue my cancer treatments in the clinic on the eighth floor.”

The Outpatient Pavilion is a nine-story building that will house three specialty institutes: Cancer, Neurosciences and Heart & Vascular, 12 state-of-the-art operating rooms and seven GI/endoscopy procedure areas equipped with the latest technology.  The diagnostic imaging capabilities in the Pavilion, including a new PET/CT service that offers tumor tracking, will be unprecedented in the area.  Not only will physicians and patients secure the highest quality images that lead to quicker diagnosis and treatment, but patient exposure to radiation will be minimized. 

Technology is important, but is only one aspect of this project. The facility also has built-in an ample amount of patient amenities, including comfortable family and pediatric waiting areas, a retail pharmacy, a Courtyard Café, a tracking board that keeps families informed about loved ones undergoing surgery, an innovative MRI Caring Suite intended to create an environment that lowers patient anxiety, and free parking in a garage connected to the Outpatient Pavilion by an above-street, weather-protected pedestrian bridge.

Gilda’s Club and Noogieland, a Gilda’s Club offshoot designed specifically for children, will occupy 1,800 square feet of space on the Pavilion’s ground level and will introduce cancer patients and community members to an array of support programs six days a week.

“Each year, we provide outpatient services to more than 300,000 individuals,” said

Ken Lukhard, president of Advocate Christ Medical Center. “We are grateful and excited to be opening this new facility where we can continue our healing ministry of providing patients safe, quality outpatient care in an environment that is comfortable and that offers many amenities to our patients and their families.  The facility, along with our physicians and associates, will be a blessing to the communities we serve.” 

During the Community Open House, participants will have an opportunity to tour the facility and its eight medical floors, take advantage of free health screenings and complete an entry to win one of three iPads. 

Persons interested in attending the open house can obtain more information about the event or register by calling 1-800-3-Advocate or visiting advocatehealth.com/cmc/opevents.