Illinois state board approves Univ. of Chicago expansion

The South Side of Chicago may finally regain a trauma center to treat its most severely injured adults.

Illinois regulators approved University of Chicago Medicine's nearly $270 million campus expansion that includes a trauma center. The decision caps a relentless campaign among activists who have long called for such an essential service in an area wracked by violence and health disparities. The academic medical center and other area hospitals closed their adult trauma centers decades ago after being overwhelmed with patients who were typically on Medicaid or uninsured.

The nine-member planning board, which decides the fate of healthcare projects to prevent duplication of services, unanimously approved the proposal. University of Chicago Medicine still must get permission from the directors of the other Chicago trauma centers and the Illinois Department of Public Health. —Kristen Schorsch, Crain's Chicago Business

The Cleveland Clinic will establish a $7.5 million Green Revolving Fund—the largest of its kind among healthcare systems.

Energy-efficient projects will pull money from the fund, which will then be replenished by reinvesting savings from reduced energy consumption, as well as rebates.

Nationally, the $7.5 million annual commitment, announced during last week’s Better Buildings Summit in Washington, D.C., is one of the largest in any business sector.

“The establishment of this fund strengthens Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to reducing our energy usage and serves as a catalyst for future projects to further reduce our impact on the environment,” Jon Utech, senior director for Cleveland Clinic’s Office for a Healthy Environment, said in a statement.

The dedicated fund will help drive the clinic’s commitment to sustainability and energy conservation, including a goal to reduce its energy intensity by 20% by 2020, which is part of President Barack Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative.

As part of the challenge, the clinic reduced its energy demand by more than 12% through the end of 2015 by using Energy Star-rated lighting, appliances and equipment; making targeted investments; and improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings through optimization of building systems, among other projects. —Lydia Coutre, Crain’s Cleveland Business