Children's Hospital Breaks Ground on New Wing

If you missed yesterday's Baltimore Sun story, the groundbreaking of the wing of the Herman & Walter Samuelson's Children's Hospital yesterday evening.

In addition to the new wing, the Children's Hospital will have associated upgrades and changes that will enhance the quality and efficiency of care, including all private rooms and family sleeping areas. These additions support the very heart of a family centered care program where the family is recognized as the constant in a child’s life. For this reason, family centered care is built on partnerships between families and health professionals during and after a child is treated for a diagnosed illness. Most importantly, family centered care improves and enhances clinical outcomes for children with special needs and provides more support for their families as they deal with the challenges and joys of raising a chronically ill child. The construction will take place from now until mid-2012. The following changes and upgrades are planned:

Pediatric Inpatient Capacity: An increase to a total of 26 pediatric inpatient medical and post-surgical single occupant patient rooms (including an isolation unit for oncology/high risk patients), with nurse stations and support areas as well as an in-room capacity to accommodate parents/family members.

Children’s Diagnostic Center (CDC): An increase to a total of three pre-operative beds, two procedure rooms with sedation/anesthesia capacity, and three recovery/post-anesthesia bays (including one isolation bay), with nurse station, support areas, and family waiting areas.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU): six PICU beds (including 2 private single occupant isolation rooms for high risk patients and four semi-private rooms), with nurse station and support areas.

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit: An increase to a total of six exam rooms and six infusion bays, with nurse station, support areas, and family waiting area.