
Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital is getting a new name after a donation from formerly Chicago-based billionaire Ken Griffin.
The hospital will now be called Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, after Griffin’s mother who used to live in Lake Forest.
A Northwestern spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question Wednesday about the size of the gift.
“The extraordinary care provided at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital is a reflection of the very qualities my mother has embodied throughout her life — selflessness, compassion, and an unwavering devotion to others,” Griffin said in a news release.Griffin’s mother said in the news release that the Lake Forest hospital “has always been a part of our lives, caring for my family and so many others with warmth and compassion.”
Griffin is founder and CEO of Citadel hedge fund firm. In 2022, he moved Citadel from Chicago to Florida, after spending more than 30 years in Chicago. Before he decamped for Florida, Griffin was the wealthiest man in Illinois. Griffin is worth about $50 billion, according to Forbes.
In 2021, Griffin cited increased crime and violence in Chicago as one of several reasons why Citadel was considering moving, during an appearance at the Economic Club of Chicago.
Griffin has donated more than $1 billion to a variety of Chicago-area institutions over the years. Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry changed its name in 2019 to the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry after he donated $125 million to the institution. Griffin donated $130 millionMore Top Picks Best Pillows For Neck Pain Under Shoulder
to 40 Chicago organizations in June 2022, before leaving for Florida.Last year, Griffin’s civic engagement initiative Griffin Catalyst donated $10 million to Northwestern Medicine to fund advanced research and treatment into esophageal diseases. At the time, it was his largest donation to a Chicago organization after moving to Florida. Northwestern’s program was renamed as the Kenneth C. Griffin Esophageal Center after the gift.
Griffin was also an active political donor in Illinois. He put $50 million toward Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s failed campaign to win the nomination as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2022. And he spent nearly $54 million opposing a 2020 initiative that would have moved Illinois from a flat-rate income tax to a graduated-rate income tax system based on wealth. Lake Forest hospital has 144 beds and five interconnected pavilions. Two new pavilions are slated to open in February, with an additional 96 beds. The hospital is also planning to relocate and expand its emergency department.