Advocate investing $1B on Chicago's South Side in new hospital at IL Quantum, Microelectronics Park

CHICAGO (WLS) -- One billion dollars is going toward healthcare on the South Side of Chicago.

It's a monumental 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 the investment coming to the South Side Tuesday.

"They told me I couldn't tell anyone until today," South Side resident Betty Porter said.

She said it was "very hard" to keep the secret.

Porter was one of hundreds of community members who participated in listening sessions, so Advocate Health could get direct feedback.

"In the recovery room, the walls are gray and no windows. So, we walked in, and it's almost like a morgue," Porter said. "Maybe get a window or two. They 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 a new 23-acre state-of-the-art lakefront hospital.

It will be part of the new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

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"We don't want to be in a hospital. We want to live our best lives," said Dr. Michelle Blakely, with Advocate Trinity Hospital.

It also includes expanding outpatient care, managing chronic diseases and growing the workforce.

"One thousand jobs, I talked to Michelle, West Siders, who can apply for these jobs," Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

It comes as data show people living on the South Side live 30 years less than those on the North Side of the city.

It's personal to Michelle Blakely, president of Advocate Trinity and a born and raised South Sider.

"It is a lot easier to connect to a community when you're from the community," Blakely said.

Part of the investment is expanding the number of mobile and recruitment vans.

They bring along virtual reality headsets to simulate what it's like to work at a hospital.

The goal is to meet people where they are, regardless of where they come from.

"This is prayers answered," Porter said.

Advocate Health says they hope to break ground on the new hospital by the end of next year, and open by 2029.