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With a majestic roll of the drums, inspiring speeches and a ceremonial shoveling of dirt inside a baseball diamond, the expansion dream for Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, Hollywood, became a reality Oct. 5. More than 400 people attended the afternoon event.
The new 160,000-square-foot hospital is expected to meet these increasing demands for pediatric specialty care. Scheduled to open in late 2011, it will feature all private rooms, a pediatric oncology unit and med/surg areas. The theme, "The Power of Play," will be carried out throughout the facility with bold graphics depicting sports, arts, games and fantasy.
The new hospital will be connected to the existing facilities at Memorial Regional Hospital via an elevated walkway. Upon completion of the project, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital will have 204 licensed beds. The hospital is pursuing special certification with an architectural design that optimizes energy efficiency and employs a wide range of recyclable materials.
Anticipated cost for the four-story pediatric facility is approximately $130 million. Currently, more than $32 million has been raised through the Believe Capital Campaign, funded by a broad base of community donors as well as Memorial Healthcare System physicians and employees. The Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation is continuing to seek funds for the campaign to support the construction.
"We have grown from 2,000 admissions in 1992 to more than 8,000 admissions and observation cases last year," said Nina Beauchesne, hospital administrator.
Additionally, 5,000 pediatric surgical cases were performed at the hospital last year, and the staff handled 45,000 ED visits. The number of pediatric transport cases to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital from outlying centers reached 2,000 in 2008.
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