Childrens Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Celebrates Completion of New Minneapolis Hospital Expansion

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn. — Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota recently celebrated the completion of a $230 million expansion of its Minneapolis hospital. The new state-of-the-art facility uses insight gained from decades of pediatric-focused care to bring families across the Upper Midwest the best possible health care experience.

The hospital expansion features:

• A new, larger emergency department;
• All private patient rooms with sleeping space for families and private bathrooms;
• New neonatal and pediatric intensive care units with parent accommodation;
• New operating rooms and family waiting areas;
• A comprehensive cardiovascular center, featuring cardiac operating rooms, cardiac cath labs, and a cardiac intensive care unit;
• The Upper Midwest’s only inside-the-hospital Ronald McDonald House;
• Expanded Family Resource Center and Sibling Play areas;
• A theater for live performances that can be broadcast to patient rooms;
• Original art that has been commissioned from artists from across Minnesota as part of the hospital’s innovative Arts and Healing program.

“We know that the environment of care can play an important role in helping children heal,” said Alan L. Goldbloom, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s of Minnesota.  “Every element of this expansion was done with an eye toward the unique physical and emotional needs of our patients and their families, while simultaneously providing state-of-the-art technology.”

Children’s began construction at its Minneapolis hospital in 2007 as part of an announced $300 million redevelopment that will include expansion at its St. Paul hospital as well.  The renovation and expansion have been supported in a large part by philanthropy from individuals and corporations who have stepped forward to help Children’s stay at the forefront of pediatric care.

The expansion of the Minneapolis hospital comes on the heels of the completion of the new Children’s Specialty Center, which opened in 2009.  The two buildings are connected by a skyway across Chicago Ave., and together they are part of an overall urban renewal effort aimed at enhancing and revitalizing the surrounding Phillips neighborhood.

“The architects designed the buildings to create a kind of ‘healing embrace’ across Chicago Avenue,” said Goldbloom.  “We gathered input from community members, patients, families, and care providers on the best ways to incorporate public art, a healing garden, and other unique features to make our new campus a welcoming place for everyone in the community.”  

A grand opening program featured remarks by Goldbloom along with patients and families representing Children’s decades of leadership in pediatric care.  Former patients and members of Children’s Youth Advisory Council participated in a special ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating Children’s history in the community and celebrating this new phase moving forward. The St. Paul campus is scheduled for completion in 2011.

About Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Serving as Minnesota’s children’s hospital since 1924, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has 332 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children’s of Minnesota provides care through more than 14,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. Children’s is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children. For more information, visit www.childrensmn.org.