CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FILES CERTIFICATE OF NEED FOR REPLACEMENT FACILITY
BIRMINGHAM (July 10, 2008) - Children’s Hospital of Alabama officials filed a Certificate of Need (CON) application Wednesday with the State Health Planning and Development Agency for the pediatric hospital’s proposed replacement facility.
The proposed project will replace the existing, outdated space-deficient facility; enable the hospital to expand services provided to pediatric patients; improve operating efficiencies; address growth in the pediatric population served; and increase access to family-centered services, as well as provide an environment conducive to improving and expanding pediatric teaching and research. Children’s Hospital is currently licensed for 275 specialty pediatric beds and upon completion of the proposed project the number of licensed specialty pediatric beds will increase to 332.
“As one of the 10 busiest pediatric medical centers in the country, the proposed project is essential for the Children’s Hospital of Alabama to meet the current and future pediatric health care needs of children in the state, and to enable us to continue to provide nationally recognized, high-quality pediatric programs, training and services,” said Mike Warren, Chief Executive Officer.
The replacement facility is expected to add more than 700,000 square feet to the Children’s campus at a cost of approximately $403 million for construction and an estimated $80 million for equipment and furnishings. Children’s announced a $100 million capital campaign in May to help pay for the project and has already raised more than two-thirds of that goal, including a $25 million gift from Ben and Luanne Russell of Alexander City and $20 million of support from the City of Birmingham over a twenty year time period. Children’s entire downtown campus will be renamed the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children, in honor of Ben Russell’s grandfather. The opening of the new facility is planned for 2012.
Children’s proposed project will be located on the block directly north of the current hospital and will incorporate its existing buildings and the Children’s Harbor facility. The Children’s Board of Trustees approved the project in January of this year and planning has proceeded for a possible hospital facility replacement that would relieve crowding in the current building, help to accommodate projected growth in patient volumes, and allow for anticipated medical technology needs and the planned consolidation of pediatric services in one comprehensive pediatric specialty care setting.
About Children’s Hospital
The Children's Hospital of Alabama, the flagship of Children’s Health System, is the only free-standing hospital in the state dedicated solely to the care and treatment of children and one of the 10 busiest pediatric medical centers in the U.S. One of only about 45 freestanding acute care hospitals of its kind in the nation, Children’s Hospital is home to Alabama’s only Level I pediatric trauma center. Children’s campus includes the largest pediatric burn center in the Southeast, one of the largest pediatric outpatient centers in the country and a leading pediatric hematology/oncology center and bone marrow transplant program. The hospital was recently recognized for the excellence of its nursing care by achieving Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Children’s is the primary site for all pediatric medical education programs and patient care activities through an affiliation with the UAB School of Medicine and the Health Services Foundation. The Children’s Hospital of Alabama is a private not-for-profit hospital governed by a volunteer board of trustees and will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2011. For more information, go to www.chsys.org.
For Information Contact: Garland Stansell, Children’s Health System, 205-939-6250 or 205-914-9733
