UAB & Jeffco break ground on new $120M Cooper Green building

Cooper Green Mercy Health broke ground today on a new $120M building to house its clinical operations, replacing the current clinic that dates back to the early 1970s. It was agreed by the Jefferson County Commission that the project would be managed by the UAB Health System. The building will be built on the former Cooper Green parking deck lot, which was demolished last year.

History of Cooper Green

Originally called Mercy Hospital, Cooper Green operated as an acute care hospital providing medical care to Jefferson County residents regardless of their ability to pay.

Named in 1975 to honor former Birmingham Mayor Cooper Green, the hospital became an affiliate of the UAB Health System in 2020. Cooper Green is a full-service ambulatory care facility that provides primary and specialty care clinics, urgent care, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, laboratory services, imaging and pharmacy.

“You never know where you’re going, but just remember where you came from,” said County Commissioner Sheila Tyson, “This new building will provide a new chapter for so many people’s lives.”

Amenities

According to UAB, Cooper Green Mercy Health will include several other amenities:

• An expanded rehabilitation suite featuring an outdoor section dedicated to developing outdoor skills such as navigating curbs and various ground surfaces
• A phlebotomy and injection clinic that will streamline laboratory visits and improve the process of vaccinations
• New magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine 
• Clinic areas will be designed to support team-based, multidisciplinary care, making clinic visits more centralized for the comfort of the patients
• Facility will incorporate natural light throughout the building in stairwells and waiting areas 
• Gift shop and food service options

“This is a very important day for all the citizens of Jefferson County, of Birmingham, and for the state of Alabama,” said UAB President Ray Watts. “With this new facility, every citizen will have access to world-class care in the 21st century at a $120M facility. It’s a great day.”

Completion date early 2025

The new Cooper Green Mercy Health building will be five stories and 211,000 square feet, and completion is expected in early 2025.