MDNews - Cleveland-Akron-Canton

A Akron Children's to Undertake $200 Million Expansion KRON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL is launching a $200 mil- lion expansion of its Akron campus. Called "Building on the Promise," the expansion project is the result of significant growth in the hospital's patient volumes and services. The centerpiece of the plan — a critical care tower near Locust and Exchange streets — will include: + A new neonatal intensive care unit with individual rooms for each of the hospital's tiniest patients 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 department with enough room to meet current and future patient volumes. Annual visits of more than 60,000 strain the hospital's resources in a facility built to accom- modate 44,000. + Dedicated outpatient surgical suites to accommodate a more than doubling of outpatient procedures in the past 20 years. + Dedicated space for several of the hos- pital's pediatric subspecialty programs, which keep the highest-level of clinical expertise in the community and also help attract and retain nationally- known physicians. The hospital's medical staff has grown 72 percent since 1991. In addition, the plan calls for expand- ing the Ronald McDonald House of Akron, a new six-level, 1,200 space park- ing deck, already under construction and A new "front door" for the hospital — a child-focused patient and visitor welcome NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 s MDNEWS.COM s MD NEWS Cleveland/Akron/Canton | 43 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. Philanthropy will play a key role in the success of the campus expansion. The hospital plans a capital campaign to raise $50 million for the critical care tower and $10 million for the Ronald McDonald House expansion. Construction will begin in the spring of 2013 and will be completed in 2015. s

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