By: Mercy Medical Center, St. Luke’s Hospital and Physicians Clinic of Iowa

Here is the statement we received at SourceMedia Group. -- lm

 

We represent just a portion of the many businesses and property owners who support the development of the Cedar Rapids Medical Self Supported Municipal District (SSMID), which is the foundation for the emerging regional medical district known as the MedQuarter.

We are disappointed that the forum could not have been held until the medical district had been formalized so we could actively participate. However, we are hopeful that this discussion and coverage around the district will be balanced and informed.

Each of our organizations has demonstrated a commitment to not only the improvement of the community's health but its economic development and historic preservation. So we do believe that it can be a model for both growth and preservation.

MedQuarter will be a critical catalyst that will improve our community in many ways including:

• spurring economic development and neighborhood improvements,
• improving the quality of our healthcare by creating a more patient centric district and fostering collaboration,
• enhancing the district's security and appearance,
• and attracting more patients and visitors to the community.

While these improvements are critical to our city, so is keeping our history alive. Each organization has and continues to support historical preservation. Below are a number of recent examples of how each has contributed to this preservation and our community:

Mercy Medical Center

  

Mercy has and will continue to work closely with the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission to seek their guidance on properties that Mercy owns.

As in the past, Mercy will partner with local salvage and recycling programs to re-purpose historic features of properties that Mercy owns.  We have previously partnered with Friends of Historic Preservation of Iowa City to salvage Mercy-owned properties.  A recent example includes a home at 620 9th Ave. SE. The salvaged materials were taken to the Salvage Barn in Iowa City and sold. The Salvage Barn is part of Habitat for Humanity.

In addition, Mercy has refurbished existing buildings for continued use within the medical district. Mercy received a $600,000 grant from The Hall-Perrine Foundation (in May 2010) for the $2.8 million non-profit community center to be located in the former Penny Saver building at 621 4th Ave. SE.  The building has been named the Sister Mary Lawrence Community Center, in honor of the former Sister Mary Lawrence Hallagan. 

The goal of the non-profit community center project is to create long-term office and work space for several nonprofit organizations that will benefit not only from the space allotment but also from a shared vision to enhance the health and well-being of the community. The new community center will be opening in June.

In 2008, Mercy bought the Iowa Workforce Development building at 800 7th St SE.  Mercy purchased it after the state's lease on the building was about to expire. It was purchased to replace office space in the former Family Practice Center that was flood damaged and then demolished.  Fifty-five Mercy employees who work in billing, centralized scheduling and finance operations moved into the Workforce Development building in December 2010.

In addition, Mercy has strongly supported area efforts to create affordable housing by working with developers. One example is Irving Point, a 55-unit affordable assisted living option for low-income seniors and frail elderly. Partnering with Burns Housing, a group of organizations dedicated to the development, design, and property management of affordable housing, Mercy Home Care provides on-site personal care and medical support for tenants.

Mercy has also served as a catalyst for the Oak Hill Jackson Brickstone projects, which are helping to revitalize the neighborhood through the provision of affordable housing. In another partnership, some Mercy employees who were displaced by the flood have been able to find affordable housing in the Oak Hill Jackson neighborhood through a development project with Premier Builders.

Supporting area development projects such as these will continue to be an area of importance for Mercy as it supports its employees, neighbors and the City.

Mercy is also investing in the medical district with the development of its new Hall-Perrine Cancer Center. The $24.6 million Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, located on Mercy's campus near the corner of 10

^th

Street and 5

^th

Avenue, is positioned to be a cornerstone of the Medical District and will help spur the redevelopment of the flood-impacted downtown. It will also add significant green space to the emerging medical district as part of its patient centered design.

Physicians Clinic of Iowa

 

Although the Physicians' Clinic of Iowa is not officially a property owner within the MedQuarter, the facility will be located on land leased from St. Luke's Hospital, it has and continues to be supportive of the areas development and preservation.

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art:

PCI and the Grant Wood Museum will work out a reciprocity agreement for museum visitors to use parking within the adjacent ramp. PCI will work with Grant Wood Museum on appropriate lighting and aesthetic appearance of the green space between the ramp and the museum. After reviewing architectural elevations of the ramp, the museum now understands that the adjacent garage will only be two stories, rather than four as originally thought. Also in discussions (pending City approval) is the potential to use the garage that faces the museum for museum marketing purposes (banner or façade billboard.)

PCI is bound by the City's code requirements which mandate a minimum of seven parking spaces per 1,000 square feet.  PCI has worked with the City to reduce the number of required spaces to five per 1,000 square feet due to limited space on the site.

The parking garage is two stories on one end and sloped to four stories on the other.

Parking has been designed for safe and convenient patient access with easy drop-off and pick-up.

Investment in Growth:

The Physicians' Clinic of Iowa medical facility marks the largest private, for-profit development in the downtown area since the flood of 2008.  This investment is working toward the vision of the MedQuarter district to meet the many and varied healthcare needs of our community within an area of downtown.

• Projected to bring thousands of daily patients and visitors with an annual economic impact of $100M+ (study by Priority One and ISU.)
• Provides $1M+ property tax base for Cedar Rapids
• Will generate $16.2 million in construction employment with local subcontractors and suppliers

The state-of-the-art facility will also enhance the ability of the Cedar Rapids medical community to attract and retain top physician, nursing and support talent.

Collaboration:

The Physicians' Clinic of Iowa medical facility will bring coordinated services together under one roof to create an environment for increased healthcare collaboration including:.

• Increased service coordination and reduced duplication.
• Increased physician-to-physician interaction.
• Setting for other community physicians and health-related tenants.

Community Education and Conference Center:

Located on the third floor of the new building, this space will offer:

• A community multi-purpose room available for local meetings
• Health care screenings
• Wellness and healthy living activities
• Continuing medical education conferences
• Coordination of care conferences

St. Luke's Hospital

 

St. Luke's has and will continue to work closely with the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission to seek their guidance on properties that St. Luke's owns.

St. Luke's will also financially support the relocation of any structure on our property that may be deemed historically significant by making a donation equivalent to the expenses St. Luke's would have incurred in the demolition process.

If relocation or repurposing of the property is not feasible, St. Luke's will work with previous property owners and the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission to salvage historic features and to encourage re-use of materials as much as possible.  St. Luke's has coordinated extensive salvage of all properties that have been demolished to date.  Windows, wood floors, doors, woodwork, fixtures, air handling systems, etc. have been salvaged for reuse.  Historic preservation and previous owners have taken extensive advantage of these salvage opportunities. 

Status update on properties that St. Luke's owns in the medical district:

Property at 1113 Second Avenue, SE

Charles Jones of Green Development LLC in Iowa City will be moving the 1906 Josselyn and Taylor designed building from 1113 Second Avenue, SE on or before April 20.  The home resides on the site for PCI's new Medical Mall.

The structure will be relocated to either 616 4th Avenue, SE or to Brosh Funeral Home site in New Bohemia on or before April 20th.  The entire structure will be saved and will become an office building at its new location.

First Christian Church Property

The land that First Christian Church occupies is needed to support the code based parking requirements for the PCI project.  St. Luke's bought the church after it was listed for sale by the congregation.  St. Luke's will donate the equivalent expenses that we would have incurred in the demolition process to relocating the church to a new site.

St. Luke's has been working with a local non-profit agency to relocate the church within the Medical District.  Fees for the church relocation range between $2 to $2.5 million dollars. It will cost approximately $800,000 to move the building, $200,000 for the lot, $150,000 for a new foundation and $210,000 for a building sprinkler system.

If efforts to relocate the church are not possible, as much of the church structure will be salvaged for reuse.  Once salvage has occurred, the building will be demolished to make way for the PCI Medical Mall project. The hospital continues to work with the congregation in a cooperative manner to assist with timing and salvaging for reuse.

3rd Avenue Apartments located at 824 and 834 3rd Avenue

St. Luke's has no plans for the 3rd Avenue Apartment site as reported by the Gazette on March 27 and the apartments will remain intact for the foreseeable future. These apartments are outside of the PCI Medical Mall needs. The Medical District encourages residential housing within the district.  If this should change in the future, St. Luke's will communicate well in advance of any plans that involve this property to the tenants.  

The property at 829 Second Avenue

St. Luke's purchased this building in 2010 and has allowed the tenant to remain in the facility rent free while they explore relocation possibilities.