Newswise — As smiling faces in hard hats pick up shovels to turn dirt and officially break ground on a new eight-story tower at Children's Medical Center Dallas, it's obvious from the butterflies on the construction walls that this is not Dallas' typical construction project. This addition to Children's serves an important purpose: as a new front door to the hospital and to expanded world-class pediatric services that make life better for children.
On Tuesday, September 26, Children's broke ground on an eight-floor, 309,401-square-foot tower that will serve as the hospital's new front door. When completed in early 2009, Children's will face Motor Street, allowing for easier access for patients and their families.
"This new eight-story tower will help Children's continue to advance pediatric healthcare while better serving our patients and their families for years to come," said Christopher J. Durovich, president and CEO of Children's. "We will be able to provide access to the preeminent services only Children's can offer to the patients in North Texas who need us and entrust us with their care each and every year."
The focus on children is apparent even during the construction phase, as the hospital called upon several local children whose lives have been touched by Children's to provide artwork for the construction walls. Fourteen children contributed artwork depicting nature's growth and change to be displayed along with their photos and names along the construction wall, which will remain in place along Motor Street until the tower's completion.
This third hospital tower will create space for growth of cardiac, surgical and neonatal services. An entire floor of the new tower will be dedicated to The Annette Simmons Heart Hospital, allowing pediatric cardiac sub-specialists on the medical staff at Children's to foster the continuity of care patients receive. The contiguous space will foster a collaborative environment needed to support the development of major medical advancements. The new tower also will house an expanded cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU), the only ICU in the Metroplex dedicated specifically to children requiring specialized cardiac care.
The façade of the 93-year-old hospital will change dramatically with the construction and opening of the new tower. The new front entrance will separate regular patient traffic from emergency patient traffic and deliveries. A covered, airport-like drop-off area spanning the front of the building will allow plenty of room for patient drop-off before driving over the bridge spanning Motor Street into the hospital's parking garage for patients and visitors. An architectural gateway spanning Motor Street on either side of the new bridge featuring the familiar red balloon symbol will signify to families that they have reached Children's.
The new front entrance of Children's was designed with patients and families in mind. With an 80-feet-wide labyrinth, outdoor dining, waterfall and stream bed, and landscape design including new shrubbery, trees and other plant life, the design brings the calmness of nature to a busy medical district. Upon entering the hospital, patients and their families will be greeted by one of the most popular features at Children's, the Trainscape, which has entertained patients and their parents alike for 16 years. To enhance the experience, an elevated balcony viewing area will be constructed to allow patients and families to view from above the two-story, eight-train G-scale system as it chugs along on more than 1,000 feet of track. A new cafeteria will be housed on the lowest level with outdoor dining available for patient families, visitors, physicians and employees.
With the continued growth of the pediatric population in North Texas, Children's is continuing to expand its services to reach a greater number of patients. In addition to the new tower at Children's Dallas, the hospital is expanding its reach north with the opening of Children's Medical Center Legacy in Plano in 2008. When opened, Children's Legacy will serve the need for quality pediatric care in the five-county area north of Dallas as the only academically affiliated pediatric hospital outside of Children's Dallas.
Children's Medical Center Dallas is private, not-for-profit, and is one of the largest pediatric healthcare providers in the nation. As the only academic healthcare facility in North Texas dedicated exclusively to the comprehensive care of children from birth to age 18, Children's provides patient care ranging from simple eye exams to specialized treatment in areas such as heart disease, hematology-oncology and cystic fibrosis. In addition, Children's is a major pediatric kidney, liver, intestine, heart and bone marrow transplant center. Through the hospital's affiliation with UT Southwestern, the medical staff conducts research that is instrumental in developing treatments, therapies, and greater understanding of pediatric diseases.
The hospital is licensed for 406 beds and has more than 50 subspecialty programs. The hospital is the only designated Level I trauma center for pediatrics in the Southwest. Children's enjoys a stellar reputation as one of the finest pediatric facilities in the United States. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations awarded Children's an "outstanding" ranking, and both U.S.News & World Report and CHILD magazines have named Children's as one of the nation's top pediatric providers. In 2006, the Dallas Business Journal recognized Children's as a "Best Place to Work." Children's makes life better for the patients it sees during more than 340,000 visits each year.
More information about Children's is available at http://www.childrens.com.
RSS