Nemours/AI DuPont Hospital for Children is celebrating the completion of a three-year, $275 million expansion project.
The hospital has designed the new 450,000 square foot building to provide a successful healing environment for its patients and their families.
The expanded facility features 144 single-patient rooms, a new emergency department, a new pediatric intensive care unit and a rooftop helicopter landing pad.
The building’s design promotes fluid movement and better visibility - while light and natural elements like the rooftop healing garden combine with a technologically interactive Discovery Zone - all accessible through the 5-story atrium that welcomes visitors to the hospital.
An underground parking garage will accommodate visitors and patients of the spacious 144 single-occupancy rooms - while improved roadways lead to an expanded emergency department that nearly doubles in capacity.
The challenge of transitioning patients to the new facility remains, but Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brent King says the hospital is running simulated scenarios to ensure a smooth process when patients begin the shift in mid-October.
“We have a team completely dedicated to moving patients," Dr. King said. "We have a schedule set - a staging schedule, so we know when different units are moving and to where. And for a brief period of time, we’re going to operate two emergency departments, one in this building and one in our old building.”
Family Advisory Council member Crystal Dunnigan says input from patients, parents and families during the design stages helped ensure the facility feels like a home away from home to those it serves.
"It's not a box that you're coming to, this little room. It's not depressing. It's so upbeat and uplifting. It's a very positive and inviting area now for our families."
Families, staff and architects worked hand-in-hand on of every aspect of the design - from the dining area and Discovery Zone to details in room layouts and caregiver zones.
And staff and administrators will have state of the art equipment, technology and tools for use in providing treatment.
Hospital staff hope that providing a better patient and family experience will promote AI duPont’s mission well into the future.