There’s been a delay in opening the new children’s hospital at the University of Iowa. The planned opening has been pushed back a couple of months.
Construction on the $360 million Stead Family Children’s Hospital began in 2014. At 14-stories, it will be the tallest building in Iowa City. A spokesman for the university, Tom Moore, says in November officials received word from the contractor.
“The contractor informed us it would not be able to meet all of the construction deadlines, which would have an impact on training for staff and the integration of medical devices,” he says.
Moore says the news prompted the decision to hold off opening.
“Primarily we wanted to make sure the opening would be both safe and comfortable for our patients and families, so out of an abundance of caution, we decided to delay the opening” he says.
Moore says it now appears the new hospital will open for business in late January or early February.