MDNews - San Antonio

Changing the Landscape of Pediatric Care The Children's Hospital of San Antonio — SINCE BEGINNING ITS TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY IN 2012, THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF SAN ANTONIO HAS USHERED IN A NEW ERA OF PEDIATRIC CARE IN THE COUNTRY'S SEVENTH LARGEST CITY. ADDITIONS AND EXPANSIONS To be the home of world-class pediatric care, The Children's Hospital of San Antonio's leadership felt it was important to create a space that was both inviting and a beacon of hope. One of the first initiatives undertaken at the children's hospital was an extensive $135 million renovation and expansion. The Children's Hospital of San Antonio is part of the CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System, and the building where the freestanding children's hospital sits is the former site of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa's downtown location. The recently completed two-story lobby made possible by the support of the Goldsbury Foundation is a key example of how this facility has been transformed into one where pediatric care is at the heart of every space. "Our spectacular new lobby is now home to a café, the chapel, the Child Life Center and our teaching kitchen, which is part of our Culinary Health Education for Families, or CHEF, program," says Mark Gilger, MD, Pediatrician-in-chief for The Children's Hospital of San Antonio and Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "It's a beautiful entryway to the hospital and sets the tone of welcome and caring that we've worked hard to reproduce throughout the facility." Work will continue through the fall on the 2.4-acre culinary garden, play garden and prayer garden, which will surround the hospital and benefit patients, sta… and visitors. A 16-room on-site Ronald McDonald House, which serves as a "home-away-from- home" and allows families to stay nearby while their children are being treated in the hospital, will open soon. FOCUS ON SERVICE LINE GROWTH Campus renovations and the hospital's partnerships have allowed The Children's Hospital of San Antonio to add more than 170 new pediatric care providers to the hospital's network and expand the availability of more than 45 specialties. Those areas include pediatric otolaryngology, oncology, orthopedics and traumatic surgical intervention. Growth has occurred throughout the hospital and its community- based network. For example, the hospital was able to bring on Mark Gorelik, MD, the first board-certified pediatric rheumatologist in the city. Some areas of development that stand out include: Neurology. The Children's Hospital of San Antonio employs six neurologists who specialize in a wide variety of pediatric services, including neuromuscula r, sleep a nd neurodevelopmenta l TODAY, SPECIALTY CARE for children and adolescents is more readily available than ever in San Antonio. New providers call the Alamo City home and The Children's Hospital of San Antonio has established itself as a regional hub of pediatric medical excellence. "From the beginning, our mission has been one of service, both to the patients we care for and their families," says Elias J. Neujahr, President of The Children's Hospital of San Antonio. "Putting their concerns first has allowed us to create a hospital that truly belongs to the community and serves its needs. It's taken just a few short years to establish ourselves as a leading provider of pediatric care. Because we're a teaching and research hospital, we are not content to rest on our laurels. There is more to come." BY VALERIE LAUER The CHEF Teaching Kitchen A new patient room at The Children's Hospital of San Antonio 0 6C O V E R F E A T U R E

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