Elgin, Ill. – The first new hospital built in Kane County in more than a decade is now open. The new Sherman Hospital, at 1425 Randall Road in Elgin, accepted its first patient shortly after 7 a.m. today.

Throughout the day, Sherman staff facilitated the smooth transition of 85 patients from the original Sherman Hospital at 934 Center St. in downtown Elgin to the new 255-bed, 645,000-square-foot hospital just south of I-90.

“We could not be prouder of our hospital staff and our patients for this successful, orderly move, which required many months of planning,” says Rick Floyd, President and CEO, Sherman Health. “Our new hospital helps us offer the type of patient-centered care people expect, including spacious private rooms and the latest technology.”

The move took about nine hours, and the final patient arrived at about 4:15 p.m.

One of the most notable opening day events was the first baby born in the new hospital. Jocelyn Paredes was born at 9:43 a.m. She weighed 9 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 inches long. There are about 3,000 births a year at Sherman, which offers Elgin’s only Birthing Center.

The new hospital is on a 154-acre campus that includes a 15-acre geothermal lake for heating and cooling; a free-standing cancer care center; a medical office building; healing gardens; and an architectural wonder called the Tree of Life (pictured above). Sherman leaders started planning for the move several years ago, and broke ground for the new hospital in June 2006, just after receiving approval from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.