La Rabida Children’s Hospital opens new outpatient center

La Rabida Children’s Hospital opens new outpatient center

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago has opened a new $16 million dollar outpatient facility—a 13,000 square-foot clinic that has lots of glass windows with views of South Shore Drive and Lake Michigan.

La Rabida’s outpatient care hadn’t previously been updated since the 1950s.

CEO Brenda Wolf said the future of health care is to get and keep patients out of hospitals.

“In order to do that, you need the proper facilities to deliver outpatient services, which is more than just—at least for our children—seeing a doctor in a room. It’s an interdisciplinary team that provides all the support the children and their families needs. It includes nutrition. It includes mental health,” Wolf said.

The pediatric hospital specializes in treating chronic illnesses and developmental disabilities. Ninety-four percent of its patients are on Medicaid.

The hospital received $4.6 million from the state of Illinois to cover part of the cost of the new facility.

is a WBEZ reporter. nmoore@wbez.org Follow Natalie on Google+,  Twitter