NIU and Northwestern Medicine announced today that they have signed a letter of intent for Northwestern to provide comprehensive healthcare expertise, by way of staffing, operating and managing Health Services at NIU.
“Partnering with Northwestern Medicine will allow us to provide our students access to world-class health care here on campus and throughout Northwestern’s expansive network,” said NIU Acting President Lisa Freeman. “As one of the largest and most respected medical systems in the region, Northwestern Medicine has the capacity and capability to provide our students with a much broader range of high quality medical services both here in DeKalb and elsewhere.”
NIU faculty and staff may recall that Health Services was one area identified in the university’s Program Prioritization process as an opportunity for transformation. The partnership will expand upon Northwestern’s local offerings, which include Kishwaukee Hospital and several DeKalb-area centers for specialty care related to diagnostic imaging, neuroscience, cancer, diabetes and mental health.
Northwestern will assume responsibility for sports medicine services beginning July 1, 2018, while both parties hope to have a final agreement on all Health Services operations by early 2019.
“Thanks to this new partnership, NIU student-athletes will continue to receive the highest level of healthcare, and will now be able to take advantage of a broad range of specialists offered through Northwestern Medicine,” said NIU Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Sean Frazier. “The well-being of every student-athlete comes first, and with Northwestern Medicine officially a part of the Huskies’ team, I am confident the level of care NIU students receive, as well as access to the doctors and services they need, will be second to none.”
