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Akron Children’s Hospital Launches $200M Expansion
AKRON, Ohio -- Called “Building on the Promise,” the $200 million expansion project at the headquarters campus of Akron Children's Hospital here results from significant growth in the number of patients who use its services, officials say. Construction is scheduled to begin in next spring and be competed in 2015.
The hospital plans a capital campaign to raise $50 million for the critical care tower and $10 million for the Ronald McDonald House expansion. “Our plan builds on the same promises we made in 1890 when we opened our doors,” said Bill Considine, president and CEO. “We turn no child away regardless of the ability to pay. This expansion will ensure our ability to care for the next generation of children.”
The centerpiece of the plan -- a critical care tower near Locust and Exe streets – is to include:
- A new neonatal intensive care unit with individual rooms for each of the babies and their parents. The current Level III NICU treats the highest level of premature and critically ill newborns and is nationally ranked but has outgrown its space.
- A new emergency room with room to meet current and future patient volumes. Annual visits to the ER exceed 60,000 at the Akron campus and strain its resources. It was built to accommodate 44,000.
- Dedicated outpatient surgical suites to accommodate the more than doubling of outpatient procedures in the past 20 years.
- Dedicated space for several of the hospital’s pediatric subspecialty programs. These programs allow Akron Children’s to retain the highest level of clinical expertise and help attract and retain nationally known physicians, officials say. Medical staff has grown 72% since 1991.
In addition, the plan calls for:
- A new six-level parking deck with 1,200 spaces, already under construction.
- A new “front door” for the hospital – a child-focused patient and visitor welcome center that will streamline access to the campus.
- Two=thirds of the cost of the project will be covered through public financing and internal reserves, officials say. Philanthropy will play a key role in the success of the campus expansion.
While Akron Children’s has made continual improvements, it has been 22 years since the hospital last undertook a major capital campaign, Considine noted. “Our patient volumes have increased significantly and we are seeing patients from farther distances. Our main campus will always be the place for trauma cases and children needing the most critical care. We hope to have the support of the community -- from the business sector to the many individuals who have been touched in some way by the work we do at Akron Children’s on a daily basis," he said.
Among the companies helping Akron Children’s with project management are the Boldt Co., Appleton, Wis.; Hasenstab Architects Inc., Akron; KLMK Group, Richmond, Va.; HKS Inc., Dallas; and the Welty Building Co., Akron.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.