Back in February, HSA PrimeCare announced that they were selected by Hawthorn Surgical Associates, a subsidiary of Birmingham, Ala.-based Surgical Care Affiliates LLC, to develop a 15,000-square-foot multi-specialty surgery center near Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills, Ill. The physicians group is relocating its practice from an outdated facility in nearby north suburban Libertyville, Ill. to the new state-of-the-art facility which is still under construction. Mark TeGrootenhuis, CCIM and Senior Vice President with the Development Division, walks us through the project’s current status below.

West elevation of surgical building with drive up canopy, shingled roof, and glazing installed in window frames.

In the past few weeks, crews from W.E. O’Neil, the general contractor on the project, have completed the exterior masonry and shingling of the roof of the building and drive-up canopy.

“The site work for the facility has gone relatively smoothly, and we expect to have the paving and landscaping completed by the end of October,” said TeGrootenhuis.

Looking south through the drive-up canopy.

At the south entrance, the team has also installed a system for in-ground snow melting prior to pouring the concrete for the sidewalks. In terms of the future management and operation of the property, installing these systems helps to mitigate the risk of a fall on the premises. Snow guards were also installed along the roofline to prevent snow and ice packs from sliding to ground level.

“Patient safety and comfort is always a top priority in healthcare developments, and we made that a key consideration in planning for this building in consultation with our clients,” said Mark.

West elevation with snow guards installed.

Seen above, the window frames are now in place, and the glass has been trimmed and caulked. Inside the facility, crews from W.E. O’Neil have also been working to finish insulating and drywalling the offices and exam rooms throughout the surgery center. Given the unique specifications of the surgery center client, careful coordination must occur for future electrical and medical gas connections in the recovery area shown below.

“We are going to start painting some of the interior walls this week, and we will add the epoxy flooring after that,” Mark stated.

Future stage one recovery area along the building’s north wall.

“We will start installing the tenant equipment as soon as the first week of November, and based on our current schedule, completion of the base building and tenant improvements is scheduled for December 20th,” TeGrootenhuis added. When completed, the Hawthorn Surgery Center will feature three surgical suites, one procedure room, and 14 recovery stations.