Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday a new outpatient center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital could bring hundreds of jobs to the city.

Emanuel said the new center, which would be dedicated primarily to diagnostic and therapeutic services, could create 650 new permanent jobs and 700 temporary construction jobs in Chicago. He said another 300 jobs would be relocated from elsewhere in the Chicago area.

“Today’s job announcement is about our economic growth, but it’s bigger than just the job announcement,” said Emanuel. “It’s about claiming the ground as Chicago being one of the health care centers of the country and therefore the world.”

Building plans for the new downtown clinic have been approved by the city’s Planning Commission, but the Zoning Commission and the City Council still need to sign off on the million-square foot facility. 

Emanuel said he’s sure the proposed clinic will get approval from City Council. The building is scheduled to be completed in 2014.