With UI Health Care’s North Liberty campus opening April 28, now is a good time to familiarize yourself with the new campus, its features and services, and what this new location will mean for patients, the community, and the state.
More information about the North Liberty campus is available here.
Check out these frequently asked questions about the North Liberty campus:
The North Liberty campus will be home to the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, which includes UI Sports Medicine, a large physical therapy/rehab gym, and the Orthopedic Injury Walk-In Clinic.
The campus will also include an emergency department, retail pharmacy with a 24-hour drive-thru service, advanced diagnostic imaging, plus durable medical equipment, clinical lab services, a cafeteria, and other amenities.
Demand for UI Health Care patient care services continues to grow. More Iowans need our care and expertise—particularly in orthopedics and emergency medicine. Patients also welcome the opportunity to get a prescription filled and/or have imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT, etc.) done without needing to drive/park/navigate at the university campus. In short, they want greater access and greater convenience.
The North Liberty campus is one part of a solution to increase access and make it easier for patients to get the care they need, with parking that is close to the building and wayfinding that is clear and easy to follow.
Plus, moving orthopedics and rehabilitation services to North Liberty creates new space/opportunities to expand services (and create greater convenience) at the university campus.
Approximately 1,000 employees will work at North Liberty—Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation faculty, staff, and resident and fellow physicians as well as nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy techs, surgical techs, imaging techs, Environmental Services staff, Food and Nutrition Services staff, and others.
Career opportunities are available at the North Liberty campus. More information is available here.
The North Liberty campus will offer a full range of orthopedic and rehabilitation/PT services.
Orthopedic surgery/inpatient care and outpatient clinics:
Non-surgical procedures:
Physical Therapy:
The Orthopedic Injury Walk-In Clinic is for patients with acute orthopedic injuries that have occurred within the previous seven days—such as nondisplaced fractures, muscle strains, and knee or other joint injuries.
Hours for the Orthopedic Injury Walk-In Clinic:
Some pediatric patients, ages 12 and older, may have orthopedic surgeries at North Liberty. Patients younger than age 12 will continue to have surgery at Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
All pediatric orthopedics outpatient clinic appointments, except for clubfoot treatments, will be held at the North Liberty campus. The clubfoot service will remain at the Pediatric Specialty Clinic at the university campus.
The unit offers general and intermediate level acute inpatient care, short-stay recovery care, and observation services for orthopedic patients. It has 36 beds, 12 of which feature enhanced monitoring capabilities. There is also shelled space for 12 additional beds in the future.
All rooms are private and designed to accommodate family members.
We will maintain a minimal presence of primary care sports providers at this location—mainly as an entry point for Hawkeye student athletes. Services will focus on care for athletes, limited point-of-care and diagnostic imaging, and limited physical therapy services.
The Orthopedic South Clinic at the university campus will offer podiatry care. The Orthopedic South Clinic will also offer physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry), primarily for patients with neurological conditions. As noted in an earlier question, clubfoot treatments will remain at the Pediatric Specialty Clinic at the university campus.
While the three emergency department locations have distinct levels of trauma care, patients will be able to walk into any emergency room and get the immediate care they need.
Trauma center levels refer to the trauma care available at the physical location. Our university campus is a Level 1 trauma center for adult and pediatric patients, while our downtown campus is a Level 3 and North Liberty is a Level 4. The main difference between Level 3 and Level 4 is the presence of an on-call general surgeon at a Level 3 trauma center. All levels have the expertise and trained staff to stabilize trauma patients prior to transfer to higher levels of care, if needed.
In an emergency, the best emergency department is the nearest one. All patients with any condition can be treated at any of the three UI Health Care campuses. Patients may also check current wait times at all three facilities at Emergency Medicine | University of Iowa Health Care
It’s hard to predict what volumes or wait times will be. Given the growing population in North Liberty and Tiffin, the emergency department at the North Liberty campus will increase access for these communities (as well as Coralville and surrounding areas) and provide emergency medicine closer to home.
Patients will receive the care they need when they walk into any of our emergency department locations. In some cases, patients who require a higher level of care will be transferred to the university or downtown campus locations once they have been stabilized. Patients with non-orthopedic medical conditions will not be admitted to the inpatient unit at the North Liberty campus.
Any patient—regardless of whether they are a UI Health Care patient—may request to have their prescriptions filled at the North Liberty campus. Check with your insurance provider to make sure the pharmacy at the North Liberty campus is approved/part of your prescription drug plan.
The retail pharmacy is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The drive-thru service is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year—a real convenience for patients needing to pick up a prescription at any time of the day or night.
The Discharge Pharmacy on the university campus is open 24/7. This is the only other around-the-clock pharmacy in the area.
All these imaging capabilities are available for all orthopedic inpatients, orthopedic outpatient clinic patients, and emergency department patients. Imaging with anesthesia will be available for emergency department and orthopedic inpatients. Outpatient imaging needing anesthesia will not be available at the North Liberty campus.
Any patient, including non-UI Health Care patients, needing a scan or a lab draw may request to have this done at the North Liberty campus. While the North Liberty campus is focused on orthopedics and rehabilitation, imaging and clinical lab services are available to the entire community.
UI Health Care Capital Management, in collaboration with UI Design and Construction, oversaw the planning, programming, and budgeting of the project—establishing the project requirements and managing the medical equipment, information technology, furnishings, and the coordination of facility load-in, transition, and activation.
Neuman Monson Architects of Iowa City was the lead architectural firm. Several other architectural, engineering, structural design, and landscape design firms also worked on the project as sub-contractors.
JE Dunn Construction of Des Moines was the general contractor. Under JE Dunn, there were hundreds of sub-contractor companies involved in the construction.
The total project is budgeted at $525.6 million. The project is being funded through patient revenue, philanthropic gifts, and hospital revenue bonds. The total cost of the project has not been finalized, but leaders expect it to be under budget. The opening date of April 28 is ahead of schedule; the original target for opening the North Liberty campus was July 2025.
Parking is free for patients. Employees are eligible for parking permits through UI Parking and Transportation.
Beginning Monday, April 28, a new service zone for the Cambus On-Demand Shuttle will launch service to the North Liberty campus. The service zone will connect the Health Sciences Interchange, UI Research Park, and the North Liberty campus. The additional service will transport riders from the university campus to and from the North Liberty campus. Service to North Liberty will be available on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The North Liberty bus route, operated by Coralville Transit, will not stop at the North Liberty campus.
It’s titled “Bluestem” and was created by artist John Grade. It was carved from salvaged Alaskan yellow cedar wood. It is 27 feet tall, and it was brought in as four sections, which were assembled on-site. It was inspired by the anatomy of a single stem of Big Bluestem prairie grass native to the hospital site, and its intricate structure was informed by the porous nature and growth of cancellous bone. The sculpture is suspended by stainless steel cables.
While we do not anticipate many direct impacts on staffing levels at our other campuses, certain areas may look a little different as we move certain orthopedic services to the North Liberty campus.
Our goal is to create a seamless transition experience for patients at the North Liberty campus. We have a team that is working on how and when we transition up our patient care loads here. We are taking a carefully measured approach so that patients can be confident they’re receiving the same quality care they expect from UI Health Care.
Yes. Students, resident physicians, and fellow physicians will learn and train at the North Liberty campus. A surgical skills lab is available for residents to hone their skills. An education center will accommodate faculty, learners, and staff and serve as a place for community seminars and other educational programming for the public.
In terms of research, the Department of Orthopedics has a strong clinical research mission. The department’s Biomechanics Research and Gait Lab facilities will be on-site, and a weight-bearing CT system is available for research.
Shelled space in the surgery area and inpatient care unit is available inside the new facility to expand capacity if/as needed in the future. The 60-acre North Liberty campus allows for future building expansion.
Amy O’Deen, BSN, MHA, is chief administrative officer at the North Liberty campus.
J. Lawrence Marsh, MD, is professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation and Physician-in-Chief at the North Liberty campus
Bryan Garter, MHA, MPH, is director of operations at the North Liberty campus
Emily Ward, DNP, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, CCRN-K, is associate chief nursing officer at the North Liberty campus
Connor Downes, MBA, is director of human resources at the North Liberty campus
Hans House, MD, is director of emergency medicine services at the North Liberty campus.
Anil Marian, MBBS, MD, MS, is interim executive director of Perioperative Services at the North Liberty campus.