Construction on Crystal Lake hospital to finish in early 2023, ahead of schedule, Mercyhealth says

Construction at the new hospital in Crystal Lake is moving along faster than expected, the Mercyhealth hospital system said Tuesday, announcing that it expects the facility to be complete in early 2023.

That would be six months sooner than expected when work began this summer. The groundbreaking had been delayed by a lawsuit filed by Centegra Health System, which has since merged with Northwestern Medicine, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once complete, Mercyhealth Hospital and Medical Center–Crystal Lake, located at intersection of Three Oaks Road and Route 31, will be home to the city’s first and only 24/7 emergency room as well as private inpatient, surgery and intensive care suites; diagnostic services; and primary and specialty care doctors offices.

“We are pleased that construction is moving along so quickly, and are excited to open sooner than we originally anticipated,” Mercyhealth President and CEO Javon R. Bea said in a statement Tuesday. “This project has been a long, 25-year journey as we persisted in our efforts to bring much-needed emergency care and hospital services to the Crystal Lake community. We are pleased our plans are coming to fruition.”

The Crystal Lake emergency department will be staffed with board certified emergency physicians and will be “capable of treating and stabilizing the full range of conditions, from chest pain and heart issues to head injuries, as well as more common emergencies such as broken bones, abdominal pain, lacerations and trouble breathing,” Mercyhealth said a news release.

More than 350 new jobs in construction and trades were expected during the facility’s construction, Bea said at the June groundbreaking. An additional 134 permanent health care jobs also are expected to come with the new hospital.

“For every new job created, there’s a domino, synergistic effect, creating more jobs in the area’s retail, restaurants and other services and goods,” Crystal Lake Mayor Haig Haleblian said at the groundbreaking. “More jobs in our community leads to more people calling Crystal Lake home.”

For every health care job created, Mercyhealth said in Tuesday’s release, another 0.9 jobs is created in the community.

Mercyhealth is a multi-regional health system with seven hospitals and 85 primary and specialty care locations serving 55 northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin communities. It currently has full-service hospitals in Harvard and Rockford.