University of Iowa Sells Kalona Clinic for $425K to Washington County Hospital and Clinics
UIHC will transfer Kalona clinic staff to other facilities while consolidating resources at its downtown campus.
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The University of Iowa has made a $425,000 sale to Washington County Hospital and Clinics, (WCHC) with the former Mercy clinic located in Kalona.
The sale is part of the transition that follows the University's purchase of Mercy Hospital and its affiliated clinics in January for $28 million.
Included in the sale, according to The Gazette, are all medical equipment and supplies that will allow CHC to extend its reach. In the meantime, the University will start focusing on building the new UI Health Care (UIHC) Medical Center Downtown.
Why Sell the Kalona Clinic?
Selling the clinic is unique because UIHC already offers services nearby in Washington, through the Riverside clinic.
With this decision, the University can focus on consolidating all resources to the new downtown campus, while the Kalona community benefits from an extended relationship with WCHC. Staff will not be laid off, but will instead be transferred to other UI Health Care facilities to continue serving the local community.
UIHC's acquisition of Mercy Hospital included around 1,000 former Mercy employees to the University's payroll with patient records now available in the Epic electronic medical record system since May. This allowed UIHC to standardize operations across its new and existing facilities.
In fact, in January, CEO Brad Haws told UIHC that the Epic transition will enable the health care clinic to evaluate how to use the downtown campus as several departments are now under possible relocation to the new site. This includes family medicine, heart and vascular services, sleep disorders, and gastrointestinal endoscopy.
UIHC Downtown Location
More than expanding its services, UIHC will also invest at least $25 million into the new location, with the $1 million roofing project that will set the stage for future infrastructure improvements.
Looking ahead, the University's long-term vision includes steady and strategic growth for the downtown campus to meet their current and future healthcare needs. Part of this is the sale of Kalona Clinic, which will bring healthcare services to the community.
