The University of Iowa is moving ahead with an application for a federal grant to add a children’s hospital to its existing medical facilities in Iowa City. U-I spokesman Tom Moore says the grant would pay a major portion of the cost of the hospital.

Moore says the regents recently approved some $100-million in construction bonds need to apply for the $100-million federal grant. He says if they received the grant, they would have to then raise another $50-million to complete the project. The federal grant is only available to public research schools that contain medical and dental schools.

Moore says the university has planned to move ahead with a children’s hospital whether they receive the grant or not. Moore says they provide services that are not available to pediatric patients anywhere else in the state, and he says it’s a need that is clear and “something that we need to do to meet the needs of the state of Iowa.”

Part of the application process required a certification from the governor that the hospital is “critical for the provision of greater access to health care, essential for continued viability of the medical and dental schools.” Governor Chet Culver has given the university a letter stating the proposed children’s hospital meets those requirements. Moore is not sure when they would find out if the U-I has won the grant.

Moore says the deadline for filing the application is coming up in October, but he says it’s not clear yet when the applicants would be notified about the grant winner. He says it likely would be late this year or late next year. The Board of Regents approved the selection of Heery International of Iowa City as the architect for the proposal.