The New Children's Hospital

'Hospital Within a Hospital' Is the Highlight of Colorado Springs Expansion

Memorial Hospital's new addition is a five-story, 300,000-sq-ft facility that will be connected to the main campus on Boulder Street.

Established in 1904, Memorial Hospital has continually expanded its presence over the past century to meet the ever-growing health care needs of the Colorado Springs area.

Memorial's latest expansion project is the construction of a five-story, 300,000-sq-ft addition to the main campus that will house the newly designated Colorado Springs Children's Hospital at Memorial Hospital, women's and maternity services, plus an emergency department nearly double the size of the current one.

"It's a completely new addition that wiIl be connected by a corridor to the existing hospital on levels one and level two," said Mike Keith, project manager for the Turner Construction Co., the general contractor.

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New Levels of Care

Construction of the $82 million facility designed by Jonathan Bailey Associates of Dallas began in spring 2004. Completion of the emergency department is set for late 2006. The remaining floors are scheduled for completion in early 2007.

"We're in the process of completing excavation and beginning the concrete foundation work," Keith said.

In March 2004, Memorial - which offered just one pediatric bed when it opened more than 100 years ago - was officially named by the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions as one of 250 children's hospitals nationwide. Only five percent of the 5,000 hospitals across the United States are designated as such.

"Memorial's new Children's Hospital will allow us to provide a level of specialized pediatric and neonatal services available only to a select number of hospitals nationwide," said Richard Eitel, Memorial Hospital's executive director.

The special needs of children require resources specifically tailored to meet them, Administrative Director June Chan said.

"Kids are not small adults," Chan added. "Their bodies don't behave the same way and their treatment shouldn't be the same."

Colorado Springs Children's Hospital at Memorial Hospital - which will function as a "hospital within a hospital" - will include:

• A 60-bed neonatal intensive care unit;
• Private and semi-private pediatric rooms;
• A pediatric observation room;
• Pediatric intensive care unit with private and semi-private rooms;
• Pediatric emergency department;
• Playrooms for children; and
• A Ronald McDonald House family area.

The new emergency department will occupy approximately 40,000 sq ft, nearly doubling its current space, and provide comprehensive emergency and trauma services such as express care, clinical decision and behavioral units; critical care and resuscitation area; triage; and a radiology department.

The expanded women's and maternity services facilities will include maternal-fetal medicine; nine labor, delivery and recovery rooms; a mother-baby unit with 32 private beds; eight obstetric triage rooms; and 24 private rooms in a women's pavilion.

"It's definitely the biggest and most complex hospital project we've done in Colorado," said Pete Sonke, Turner Construction's business development engineer.

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