Nationwide Children’s Hospital Plans for Phase II Growth

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nationwide Children’s Hospital officials recently announced a phase two master facilities plan. The approximate $730-million investment will accommodate growth of Nationwide Children’s.

A centerpiece of the plan is a new freestanding facility fully dedicated to children and adolescents with behavioral health conditions. As the most comprehensive facility of its kind nationally, the new Behavioral Health Pavilion will be eight stories at completion and house integrated behavioral health services including a Crisis and Observation Center and outpatient programs. It will also open with 48 inpatient beds, with space to house up to 66 inpatient beds, as well as capacity for additional inpatient units based on future patient need. Located on the main hospital campus, the pavilion will foster collaboration with Nationwide Children’s research team, as well as community partner agencies. The building is slated to open in 2020, with a winter 2017 groundbreaking. The total investment for the building will be $158 million. NBBJ and architecture+ have been selected as the partner architect firms for the project. A parking garage ($28 million) is scheduled to be completed in summer 2020 to support the Behavioral Health Pavilion.

The hospital will fund the expansion through a combination of operations, bonds and a philanthropic campaign. The fundraising effort, chaired by Ann Wolfe and co-chaired by Abigail Wexner and Fischer, will support the completion of the state-of-the-art facilities included in the plan, as well as grow vital patient programs and research, ensure care for every child regardless of ability to pay and fuel recruitment and retention of leading physicians, scientists and staff.
Phase II of the hospital master facilities plan is expected to be completed in 2022 and will create an additional 1,000 jobs by 2019, per a jobs creation tax incentive package with the city of Columbus, and 1,000 more by 2024. At their May 27 meeting, the hospital’s board approved the plan which includes the following components, approximate costs and timeline in addition to the Behavioral Health Pavilion.

Expanding care:

• The Livingston ambulatory building, under construction, is slated to open summer 2017. This five-story, 222,000-square-foot building will house ambulatory services including primary care, dental services, adolescent medicine and outpatient behavioral health services. A parking garage for the Livingston Ambulatory Center is scheduled to be completed summer 2017.
• The hospital tower previously had unfinished areas to accommodate future growth. Fifty-one inpatient beds and five additional operating rooms will be added in 2017.
• The Main Campus Childcare Center for faculty and staff will be renovated both inside and out, allowing for upgraded playgrounds and improved green space around the building. It is scheduled to be completed in fall 2018.
• Enhancement of Livingston Park, a treasure for the community and patient families, will include new basketball courts and playground equipment, consistent with the Recreation and Parks Livingston Park Master Plan. Nationwide Children’s is also working with the city on an easement that will allow future development of an underground parking garage beneath the park to continue to support inpatient growth on main campus.

Expanding world-class research:

• Research Building 3 previously had two unfinished floors that will be built out to accommodate the hospital’s Good Manufacturing Process facility, “clean room” area, wet labs and research information services.
• A proposed Research Building 4 would open in late 2021 as a companion to Research Building 3. This will be approximately 220,000 square feet when approved and completed.

Expanding infrastructure to support programs and services:

• A faculty office building, slated to open June 2016, will accommodate the growth of medical staff. The building is 163,000 square feet, six stories and will accommodate more than 650 employees. It will also include Panera on the first floor.
• A near East office building will accommodate growth north of main campus with more than 800 parking stalls, surrounded by offices. The building will be completed winter 2018.
• A central energy plant, to meet heating, cooling and power generation needs west of Parsons Avenue, will be completed summer 2019.
• A new data center will be located northwest of Research Building 3.

Specific size and occupants for various buildings will be determined as architectural plans develop. Many of the project costs listed above are current estimates. Renderings are not currently available for all facilities, but will be made available as projects progress.

Source: nationwidechildrens.org.