Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, a regional facility for pediatric specialty care, will further expand its healthcare services with the construction of a new $130 million hospital offering a variety of family-friendly amenities.
The Oct. 5 groundbreaking coincides with National Child Day, making it a fitting start to the physical transformation of the five-acre site that lies just east of Memorial Healthcare System’s 20-acre medical campus.
The 160,000-square-foot children’s hospital will provide pediatric ambulatory, radiology and outpatient oncology services and feature a 24-bed Pediatric Medical and Surgical Unit, 24-bed Pediatric Oncology Unit, two GI/Endoscopy/Special Procedure Suites, operating rooms, a conference center and a two-story atrium. Joe DiMaggio’s existing Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Medical and Surgical Units and Pediatric Emergency Department will remain at their current locations.
The new four-story hospital, expected to open in late 2011, will be connected to the existing children’s hospital facilities and Memorial Regional Hospital via an elevated walkway with parking for more than 300 cars available in an adjacent garage.
Joe DiMaggio Administrator Nina Beauchesne said the demand for pediatric services “has exceeded our capacity as a facility.” Each year, about 2,000 children from Palm Beach, the Keys, Naples and surrounding areas are transported to Joe DiMaggio for pediatric specialty care in nephrology, cardiac and surgical intensive care.
“At this point in time, we need additional facilities to further expand our services,” Beauchesne said. “There are times when we have children waiting for a bed.”
Upon completion of Memorial’s extensive expansion project, which also includes improvements made to the existing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital will have 204 licensed beds.
The new family-oriented, all-private-room facility will feature a family resource center; playrooms, teen rooms, family lounges and laundry rooms on each inpatient unit; two family suites on the Inpatient Oncology Unit; flat-screen TVs, safes and wardrobes in patient rooms; room service-style dining; fantasy décor; age-appropriate sports, arts and games; an amphitheatre; a chapel; and an outdoor playground.
In an effort to be environmentally friendly, the new hospital is striving to attain Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a distinction that few hospitals in the country have earned. The facility’s architectural design will optimize energy efficiency and odorless paint, and a wide range of recyclable materials will be utilized during construction.
The new pediatric hospital, which is being constructed to allow for future vertical expansion, has been planned to meet the long-term needs of the community and beyond. Joe DiMaggio also operates a pediatric specialty office in Boca Raton, where specialists in kidney, orthopedics, cardiac, gastro and chronic illnesses rotate throughout the week, with patients requiring hospital support transported to Hollywood for care.
For more information on Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, visit www.jdch.com.
