Seamus Collins, president of the Northwestern-affiliated Lake Forest Hospital, told the Lake Forest City Council on Nov. 17 that the hospital plans an expansion to be activated in February 2026 that will nearly double the facility’s licensed care spaces and broaden clinical services.

"In just a few short months, in February, 2026, we'll be activating an expansion of our hospital that will double the size of our hospital," Collins said, describing plans to increase licensed capacity (today 114 beds) to about 260 care spaces, grow the emergency department approximately threefold and increase critical-care beds from 12 to 24. Collins said the project will total nearly 300,000 square feet and add more than 150 employees.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, the hospital’s vice president and chief medical officer, described clinical improvements accompanying the expansion, including reduced emergency diagnosis times, expanded maternity services and new specialty programs. Kopin noted Lake Forest Hospital’s affiliation with Northwestern Medicine and pointed to system rankings and safety ratings as evidence of clinical quality.

Hospital leaders also described expanded clinical trials, a family-medicine residency program (24 residents), and plans to bring more subspecialty care locally so residents will not need to travel downtown for advanced treatment.

The presentation concluded with an offer to answer council questions; no formal action was required. The council will receive continuing updates as the expansion moves toward the February 2026 activation.