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Advocate hospitals in Park Ridge, Oak Lawn, merge
Updated: December 9, 2012 6:07AM
PARK RIDGE
Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge has partnered with Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn to become the new Advocate Children’s Hospital.
The merger creates 400 licensed beds, including 111 Level Three neonatal intensive care beds and 46 Level Two special care nursery beds. Between the two buildings are more than 400 pediatricians and 230 pediatric subspecialists.
The realignment will “provide more seamless and comprehensive care for our youngest patients,” Mike Farrell, president of Advocate Children’s Hospital, said in a news release.
“We now have a broader voice and a broader skill-set to make things happen,” Farrell said. “This puts us in a position to adapt and grow with changes taking place in the health care world.”
While under the same ownership, both hospitals did, in a sense, compete for patients, said Stephanie Johnson, a spokeswoman for Advocate.
“This new structure allows for building a strong referral system between the two sites and across the (Advocate) system,” she said.
The mission of Advocate Children’s Hospital is to provide families more options and access to health services close to home.~.
