People living in the Bronzeville neighborhood now have the option to receive quality healthcare from Northwestern Medicine, as the hospital is set to open a new outpatient facility.

The $100 million five-story building officially opens on Wednesday at the corner of 48th and Cottage Grove.

"If you have a seat, you'll see that the chairs are made to feel like you're getting a hug," said the center's director of operations, Tanika Sykes. "Nobody can tell you they've ever had a chair hug before."

The idea is to relax folks as they wait for their appointment.

Bronzeville residents now have the opportunity to receive compassionate care at the new 120,000-square-foot outpatient center.

"I do love the fact that the facility just seems manageable," said Northwestern patient Charlene Odum.

Odum lives on the South Side and said the new facility helps her build a stronger relationship with the healthcare team.

"Now, I'm going to be a little more encouraged about coming in, making my appointments, sitting down and finding out what's going on, or just staying ahead of the game," she said. "A lot more convenient in terms of just being able to get in and get out."

Odum would typically make the drive to the main Northwestern hospital location in the Streeterville neighborhood downtown to visit her physician, Dr. Kimbra Bell, but now she won't have to fight traffic and gets see Dr. Bell much closer to home.

"We were very intentional about having a very diverse staff here," Bell said.

Northwestern Medicine officials said the center is expected to serve more than 50,000 patients and family members from Bronzeville and surrounding neighborhoods every year.

"We hired over a hundred staff members. We have over 30-plus physicians that will provide services throughout the building," Sykes said.

Sykes said 76 percent of the staff live in Bronzeville.

"Our current employees, they want to work closer to home. So that was one goal was to get them closer to home," she said.

The center also offers services such as a teaching kitchen and fitness center; a way they hope to fight off diseases like kidney disease and diabetes.

"We're hoping that, as was referenced early, is that we cannot only prevent some of these things, but also have early intervention with these conditions if they've already developed," Bell said.

The outpatient care facility will offer an immediate care center, primary care doctors, pharmacy services, diagnostic services such as mammograms and lab tests, a cancer center with chemotherapy services, behavioral health services, pediatrics, physical therapy, women's health, and other specialties.