Regents give go-ahead for planning on University of Iowa hospital expansion

The Iowa Board of Regents has given approval for planning to move forward on a proposed $700 million expansion at the University of Iowa Hospitals. The project calls for construction of an 800,000 square foot critical care tower and a 600,000 square foot children's hospital tower, with construction to begin in 2010. Despite the approval, the board expressed concerns about patient access and convenience and asked UI hospital leaders to address those issues in their planning.