Phoenix Children’s Hospital Opens First Floors Of The Highly Anticipated New Patient Tower

New Hospital Now Offers Outpatient Specialty Care, Making Impact on Pediatric Healthcare

PHOENIX — Phoenix Children’s Hospital is proud to open the first few floors of its highly anticipated new 11-story patient tower. The newly opened space will feature a palm-lined boulevard entrance, three-story light-filled atrium lobby, second-floor Specialty Clinic spaces, and a Phoenix Children’s Cafeteria. Joined by more than 130 clinic employees and patients, Phoenix Children’s Hospital executives cut a ceremonial ribbon to commemorate the opening of its five Specialty Clinics in the new facility.

The Hospital will treat children who are seeking specialty outpatient medical care in the areas of Dermatology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Orthopedics, and Gastroenterology in this new, expanded space. These Specialty Clinics are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. All other specialty clinics will continue their services in the Ambulatory Building and the Rosenberg Children’s Medical Plaza until the grand opening of the rest of the 11-story patient tower in June 2011.

“Thanks to the astounding dedication from our teams, ranging from the construction crews to nurses and physicians to operational support, we are here today to celebrate a new era in pediatric care in the Southwest,” said Bob Meyer, the Hospital’s president and CEO. “Today is a remarkable milestone on our journey to the grand opening of the patient tower this summer.”

The Phoenix Children’s Hospital multi-year campus expansion was designed specifically to serve one of the nation’s largest pediatric markets. The Hospital broke ground on the expansion in May 2008, and since that time, has made visible progress with the completion of an advanced central energy plant, a 525-car employee parking garage, the state’s only verified Level 1 pediatric trauma center, and the opening of an on-campus Ronald McDonald house, and is now opening the doors to the first few floors of the 11-story patient tower.

The total project costs are $538 million, with the construction costs for the new tower totaling $370 million. To date, Phoenix Children’s is reporting the overall project is $50 million under budget. The hospital will grow from 345 licensed beds today to 498 when the tower opens this summer, ultimately building out to a total of 626 licensed beds once the project is complete. This type of growth will offer world-class pediatric medical service that is setting a new standard in children’s healthcare.

The hospital was designed by architects HKS Inc. and the general contractor is Kitchell. Both were selected for their extensive experience with designing and building healthcare projects.
“We are thrilled to see the design of the state-of-the-art facility come to life during the past several years,” said Jeff Stouffer, AIA, Principal Designer of HKS. “It has been a pleasure and an honor bringing Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s vision to life, and the opening of the specialty care clinics is just the beginning of much more to come.”

Now and well into the future, the expansion will allow the Hospital to provide world-class medical care to children and serve as a significant economic driver in our community.

Although Phoenix Children’s is already one of the 10 largest freestanding children’s hospitals in the country, rapid population growth in Arizona means the Hospital must grow as well. The timing of expansion is critical, as figures from the Maricopa Association of Governments show that in Maricopa County, the number of children is expected to swell to more than 1.5 million by 2030, compared to about one million today. This explosive pediatric growth is placing increasing demands on pediatric care, and Phoenix Children’s Hospital is preparing to serve those needs well into the future.

Established in 1983 as the state’s first pediatric hospital, Phoenix Children’s Hospital today is one of the nation’s premier children’s hospitals, providing world-class care in more than 40 pediatric sub-specialties. Phoenix Children’s operates six Centers of Excellence that emphasize comprehensive, family-centered care by a multi-disciplinary medical team with extensive experience in each sub-specialty.

For more information on Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s expansion, visit the Hospital’s Web site at www.phoenixchildrens.com.