UChicago, UChicago Medicine, and City Colleges of Chicago announce healthcare development

The University of Chicago and UChicago Medicine joined City Colleges of Chicago recently to announce plans for a joint project that would create new jobs and establish healthcare career pathways for South Side residents. The multifaceted project would be built on currently underutilized land on Garfield Boulevard, between the Green Line station and Washington Park.

The project, which has been guided by community input, includes two related elements. On a vacant parcel of land owned by the University of Chicago, UChicago Medicine plans to build a new facility that consolidates its existing clinical labs, modernizes their operations, and maximizes lab test efficiency to ensure best-in-class care.

In the second part of the project, directly west of the proposed UChicago Medicine lab facility, City Colleges of Chicago would build a new learning center for Malcolm X College. The new facility would be built on land owned by the Chicago Transit Authority, immediately east of the Garfield Green Line station.

The connected projects would provide an on-ramp and clear pathway to careers in the health sciences for South Side residents, accelerating their ability to secure in-demand positions that pay well, are available at UChicago Medicine and other South Side hospitals, and are accessible with a one- to two-year degree. Together, the facilities would support approximately 600 jobs, including 200 newly created positions at UChicago Medicine. The Malcolm X College Learning Center in Washington Park will serve up to 800 students and establish the first clinical lab technician program in Chicago.

The proposed Malcolm X Learning Center is part of a broader City Colleges plan to support more South Side residents interested in pursuing healthcare careers. City Colleges also will bring a full nursing pathway to Kennedy-King College in Englewood, which will include an associate degree in nursing and a licensed practical nursing program operated by Malcolm X College at KKC, and a basic nursing assistant program and general education courses operated by Kennedy-King College. 

The project will help meet the significant and growing demand from local employers who have contended with a shortage of qualified candidates for clinical lab technician roles in recent years. UChicago Medicine often struggles to hire qualified candidates for its clinical lab tech positions, with positions remaining vacant longer than other healthcare roles. The scarcity of qualified candidates is even greater for South Side safety net hospitals. Each year, there are approximately 500 job openings for medical laboratory positions in Chicago, 1,000 in Illinois, and 25,000 across the country.

The proximity to UChicago Medicine’s clinical labs will create experiential learning opportunities for Malcolm X College students and job prospects for future graduates. Students enrolled in the clinical lab tech program, for example, will get real-world experience through a clinical rotation at UChicago Medicine. The Malcolm X College Learning Center would include classrooms, dry labs, office space, and retail space at the street level, as well as support approximately 50 full-time and part-time employees. 

The UChicago Medicine facility would support 550 jobs—including approximately 200 new positions—and help the hospital add critical lab capacity to meet the expanded diagnostic needs of a new cancer pavilion, expected to open in 2027.

Each of the facilities will include new ground floor retail space to provide opportunities for local businesses and serve residents, employees, and students, as well as other foot traffic stemming from the Garfield Green Line station. The project also includes a parking structure for students and employees.