Wilf Family Center Unveiled at U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital

The University of Minnesota recently unveiled the Wilf Family Center at University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. Designed to be the intellectual center of children’s healthcare in the Midwest, the center is named in honor of the Wilf Family Foundation for its $5-million gift, made in December 2013, to build the center and support its initial operations.

“Supporting education and health-related causes has been important to our family for several generations,” said Mark Wilf, owner and president of the Minnesota Vikings. “This gift is a wonderful fusion of our commitment to supporting children’s health and the chance to see the knowledge and discoveries here shared far beyond the hospital’s front doors.”

The formal announcement of the Wilf Family Center comes on the heels of the Wilf Family Foundation’s 50th anniversary, celebrated last December. In the past half century, the foundation has donated more than $200 million to various causes in education, health, human rights, the arts, athletics, Holocaust remembrance and more.

“University of Minnesota physicians and researchers provide world-class healthcare for citizens across Minnesota,” said Eric Kaler, president of the University of Minnesota. “The Wilf Family Center allows us to share that expertise with a much larger audience throughout the region and the world, and engage with more people in meaningful conversations about children’s health, innovative medical care and research discoveries. We are deeply grateful for this generous gift from the Wilf Family Foundation.”

The Wilf Family Center includes an auditorium, two conference rooms and a telehealth room that allows communication between patients and medical staff, and the technology to transmit medical, imaging and health informatics data from one site to another. State-of-the-art conferencing capabilities make this the premier site for knowledge sharing among pediatricians, residents, fellows and other medical professionals as it hosts local, national and international researchers and innovators in healthcare.

The auditorium is designed to accommodate patient needs and medical equipment so children in the hospital and their families can enjoy the space. The center will host patients and their families for movie premieres, special performances and opportunities to meet local celebrities including the Minnesota Vikings, University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and other favorite teams. Young patients unable to leave their rooms can still enjoy the events through in-hospital broadcasting.

“The Wilf Family Center provides an important and accessible way for children and their families to have fun and forget they are in a hospital, which is so important to the healing process,” said Carolyn Wilson, R.N., co-president, University of Minnesota Health.

The Wilf Family Center auditorium features:

• 203-theater seats with a 24-by-7 video wall
• Wheelchair access and removable seating to provide more than 20 locations for patients in wheelchairs
• Built-in equipment to serve IV poles, oxygen tanks and other patient equipment needs
• Videoconferencing capabilities, including audience and presenter cameras for recording and conferences

The center was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and built by RJM Construction. Alpha Video partnered with Video Guidance to integrate the videoconferencing systems throughout the facility.

Photo source: Alpha Graphics.