Media Contact
Jackie Ferman
Phone -- 314.286.0375
November 23, 2004 -- On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., St. Louis Children's Hospital broke ground on its $80 million, seven-story building expansion project.
The hospital expansion is part of a $120 million investment in the campus by St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
Construction is already underway, and will include a 95,000 square foot addition to the east side of the hospital's 550,000 square foot structure. Space will be added from the ground level through the seventh floor of the 12-story facility. In addition, 120,000 square feet of the hospital’s interior will be renovated.
The total number of patient beds in the expanded facility will increase from 235 to 250 -- 80% will be in private rooms. When the expansion is complete, Children's Hospital will have more private rooms than any other pediatric hospital in the bi-state area.
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) will expand to 75 beds, nearly a 50% increase from the current unit, which has been operating at or above capacity for over two years. The expanded NICU will be among the largest in the Midwest, and will provide single rooms to many of its infant patients -- one of many exclusive features placing St. Louis Children's Hospital's NICU at the forefront of neonatal medicine. The NICU is currently ranked #4 in the nation by Child magazine.
In addition, the pediatric intensive care unit will grow from 28 to 34 beds.
Building on the growth of cardiothoracic, neurological and laparoscopic surgery, as well as a full compliment of surgical services, the construction plan includes two new operating rooms. In early 2004, the hospital opened a state-of–the-art surgical suite exclusively for minimally invasive surgical procedures
St. Louis Children's Hospital is a national leader in heart and lung transplant surgery, and performs more pediatric lung transplants than any other center in the world. Recent accomplishments in heart surgery include implanting a pacemaker into the world's youngest recipient, and conducting one of the area's first non-compatible heart transplants, where the donor's blood type does not match the blood type of the recipient.
The hospital’s Cerebral Palsy program is another international attraction of the hospital, providing medical and surgical alternatives to children living with CP. The program is an example of the many clinical services experiencing patient growth, making the expansion a necessity.
"As the hospital and Washington University physicians' accomplishments continue to be recognized by colleagues around the world -- as well as by national publications like Child magazine and US News & World Report, our reputation as a leader in the treatment of child illness continues to grow," says hospital president Lee Fetter. "With that earned reputation comes a responsibility to accommodate the growing number of patients referred to us from across town, across the region and around the world. This large-scale expansion is necessary to do that."
Approximately 275,000 children receive services from St. Louis Children's Hospital each year. The hospital has served children from all 50 states and 50 countries.
A portion of the $120 expansion includes a $40 million investment by the Washington University School of Medicine; a new seven story physician office tower will be constructed atop the Children’s Hospital visitor garage to accommodate the growing physician and faculty population.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital has provided specialized care for children for 125 years. Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, ranked the second best medical school in the country by US News & World Report. In 2003, Child magazine ranked St. Louis Children’s Hospital sixth on its list of the 10 Best children’s hospitals in the country, and fourth in neonatology/neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). St. Louis Children’s Hospital also is a member of BJC HealthCare.