21 de oct. de 2007
A ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 20, marked the highly anticipated opening of Levine Children's Hospital (LCH). Named in honor of Sandra and Leon Levine, the new facility is the largest children's hospital between Atlanta and Washington DC. Las autoridades del hospital prevén que comenzarán a trasladar a los pacientes pediátricos a este centro en el mes de noviembre, una vez completadas las inspecciones y aprobaciones regulatorias necesarias. El proyecto del LCH comenzó en septiembre de 2004, con un presupuesto estimado de $85 millones.
According to Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) President and CEO Michael Tarwater, more than 100,000 children will be born or move into this region in the next 10 years. 'Before now,' he says, 'there has been no dedicated pediatric facility capable of accommodating such a high level of growth. Levine Children's Hospital will meet community needs and provide exceptional children's healthcare well into the future.'
Carolinas Medical Center (CMC), he notes, currently treats more pediatric patients per day than any other hospital in the Carolinas. This distinction will continue at LCH, which will have more board-certified physicians, in more pediatric specialties, than any other hospital in the region. The 240,000-square-foot facility more than doubles the size of CMC's current pediatric facilities.
'These resources will help elevate the care of children to a new level,' Tarwater said.
Levine Children's Hospital includes the region's only dedicated children's emergency department operating 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Other regional distinctions include the pediatric interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery program; the pediatric transplant program; a pediatric dialysis unit; and heart-lung bypass capabilities for newborns and pediatric patients. El LCH también incluye una unidad de rehabilitación pediátrica y los Centros Ricky Hendrick de Cuidado Intensivo, que constan de una unidad de cuidados intensivos y una unidad de cuidados intensivos cardiovasculares pediátricos.
Martha Whitecotton, LCH Administrator, notes that the philosophy in designing LCH was to minimize the number of times a child had to receive treatment in an adult space. Dedicated space for children allows for total focus on the child and his or her family. 'Everything a child needs in a hospital can be found here,' she says. 'Young patients will rarely have to venture into adult treatment areas of CMC.'
This 'family-centered' approach, she adds, is based on the belief that family members play a vital role in the care of children.
'They are our partners in healing,' she says. 'We want them here. We need them here.' Teniendo en cuenta esta circunstancia, el LCH ofrece numerosos servicios y comodidades para ayudar a los padres mientras están fuera de su casa. Tales comodidades incluyen: un comedor donde las familias pueden sentarse juntas para las comidas; un centro de recursos para la familia que cuenta con libros, videos y acceso a Internet; un bibliotecario especializado en medicina para ayudarles a investigar sobre los diagnósticos; habitaciones completas como las de un hotel, con camas y duchas; una terraza en el techo del edificio; y un centro de negocios completamente operativo para los padres que trabajan.
Children have special amenities, too. A first floor stage in the Christa A. and Reece A. Overcash Atrium will hold live performances that can be viewed from the Atrium's three levels or from hospital rooms via closed-circuit television. There are also playrooms for every age group, with arts, crafts and age-appropriate interactive toys, as well as a teen room with a foosball table, pinball machine, games and computers. Rooms are equipped with special colored lighting which can be controlled by each patient, and a classroom is available for keeping up with schoolwork.
Michael Rose, president of the CHS Foundation, points out that LCH hospital represents not only the fruition of a long-term dream, but the end result of a unique collaboration between the community and Carolinas HealthCare System. CHS donated the land and committed $25 million in funding. The remaining $60 million is being raised by a community-wide philanthropic effort that he labels 'truly extraordinary' in size and scope, having attracted literally thousands of individual donors.
