RLF – a Winter Park-based architecture, engineering and interior design firm – served as architect-engineer for the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center that recently opened in North Chicago, Ill. The RLF team designed the facility’s centerpiece, a $130 million, 209,945-square-foot ambulatory care center that includes both primary and specialty care outpatient clinics as well as ancillary services.
The Center is the nation’s first fully integrated Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense medical facility, enabling VA and Navy personnel to work side-by-side to provide seamless care to approximately 118,000 veterans, active-duty military and recruits, military family members and military retirees. It is named after Captain James A. Lovell, a retired naval officer and NASA astronaut who made several trips into space on the Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 missions. Following the Apollo 13 mission, Lovell became the first man to journey twice to the moon.
“I am greatly honored and deeply humbled to have my name associated with this institution,” said Lovell during the dedication ceremony that took place earlier this month. “I have always felt that the welfare of our veterans and active-duty personnel is an essential ingredient in providing a strong military, and that it is imperative to take care of those who have served our country in the past.”
Other dignitaries that participated in the ribbon cutting included Juan M. Garcia, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; Dr. Robert Petzel, VA Under Secretary for Health; U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin; and U.S. Reps. Melissa Bean and Mark Kirk.
“The successful completion of the Health Care Center ushers in a new era in federal healthcare which required an enormous amount of planning and teamwork on the part of all the participants,” said Robert Yohe, RLF principal in charge of the project. “But in the end, we’ve created a world class facility where both active and retired military personnel, dependants and veterans will receive excellent health care. We’re proud to have contributed to that.”
