Nemours, one of the nation’s top pediatric health systems, has broken ground on a new children’s hospital in central Florida.
The 620,000-square-foot facility, called The Nemours Children’s Hospital, will include 95 beds and serve as the core of a 60-acre pediatric health campus featuring a children’s clinic, emergency department, diagnostic and ambulatory programs along with education and research centers.
Nemours plans to open the $400 million hospital in 2012.
The new pediatric healthcare system will focus on the needs of “medically complex” children. Nemours’ campus will provide access to a full-line of specialty services and work to improve pediatric care to the region through coordinated patient-centered medical services, biomedical research, medical and allied health training and educational programs, as well as pediatric prevention services and child advocacy programs.
“The Nemours Children’s Hospital and integrated health campus will improve pediatric care in Florida and throughout the country,” said Jeffrey E. Green, Nemours' vice president and chief administrative officer for Florida. “It will also make access to healthcare options for children significantly less challenging for families.”
The new pediatric health campus will be situated in Lake Nona’s medical city, within close proximity to other major medical entities including the UCF College of Medicine, Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Institute. Green said the location would encourage partnerships and allow Nemours to capitalize on synergies between the various organizations.
The Nemours Children’s Hospital will incorporate high-performance, environmentally friendly and sustainable design concepts into the hospital so that the facility can achieve the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Nemours formed a team last year to design the hospital. The team consists of more than 150 internal and external healthcare business experts, clinicians and architects.
The healthcare system has also developed a family advisory panel comprised of parents with children facing complex medical issues. These individuals were selected to provide input and feedback on the appearance and functionality of the hospital based on their personal experiences within the pediatric healthcare system.