Centegra Health System officials took time over the last few months to show appreciation to community members for their support of the Centegra Hospital-Huntley project and its Certificate of Need process.

Also during a series of neighborhood focus groups and appreciation events, Centegra officials informed the community of their design and clinical service plans. The meetings solicited community input and recommendations for the new local hospital. Some of the most frequently asked questions are below:

• Will there be a plan for additional parking?
• How much will the traffic be impacted in the area?
• What outpatient services will the new hospital have?
• Are there any plans for future expansion?
• What is the trauma level?

Answers to these questions and more may be found at http://centegrahospitalhuntley.com/faq/

On Feb. 14, Huntley village board and plan commission members heard an update on Centegra Health System’s plans for the new hospital. Centegra Chief Executive Officer Mike Eesley and other Centegra officials were on hand to share the vision for the hospital campus.

The hospital will be located between two existing buildings, Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center to the south and an Immediate Care and medical office building to the north. A four-story medical office complex is also planned. This building will enable the three medical facilities to be interconnected so patients and visitors can pass from one to another without going outside.

The hospital itself is proposed to be a five-story, 128-bed facility with an eight-bed intensive care unit. Plans include a full-service emergency department with a Level II trauma center, a dedicated women’s center and a helipad for transporting critical-need patients.

Centegra is seeking an additional emergency access road off Algonquin Road, as well as the main entrance points on Haligus Road, that are already constructed.

Centegra will provide updates and elicit public feedback through neighborhood meetings planned over the next two months at various locations. Community meetings will be conducted from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19 and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 at the village municipal building.

Centegra Health System is committed to working closely with the Huntley Village Board,  government officials, as well as area residents regarding Centegra Hospital-Huntley.

We will provide updates and elicit public feedback through several neighborhood meetings planned over the next two months at various locations. Community meetings will be conducted from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19 and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 at the village municipal building. Another meeting will be conducted from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Del Webb.

Please see our events calendar below for more details. We look forward to receiving your valuable feedback!

Centegra Chief Executive Officer, Mike Eesley, and others attended a groundbreaking ceremony on the I-90 tollway interchange in Huntley. Governor Pat Quinn attended the ceremony and mentioned the approval of Centegra Hospital-Huntley (CH-H) and quality healthcare as being a driving force for improving economic development in the region. Mr. Eesley also addressed the crowd of about 200. He drew rounds of applause when he mentioned how CH-H was supported by 16,000 letters or petition signatures from community members and that it will employ 800 construction workers and 1,100 Associates when it opens in 2016. This link is to a front page story in the Daily Herald.