HJBR Nov/Dec 2019

Healthcare Journal of baton rouge I  NOV / DEC 2019 13 The mission of our sisters and our entire ministry is to care for those most in need, and that certainly begins with the most vul- nerable among us—our children. The Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital gives us a platform to serve this mission for gen- erations to come. Editor Can you describe the governance of the hospital? Dunbar  Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital is functionally a stand-alone facil- ity that is solely dedicated to the care of chil- dren. The hospital’s governance was con- sidered through the lens of the integrated approach of the Franciscan Missionar- ies of Our Lady Health System. There has been a deliberate effort to capitalize on the opportunities and synergies created by having a large integrated health system that spans multiplemarkets and states. This approach has extended to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and the mul- tiple campuses that nowmake up the Baton Rouge market. Within this model, the Our Lady of the Lake board carries fiduciary responsibility for associated campuses. The children’s hospital will have a separate physician executive committee and advisory board that feeds into the current structure. Editor Can you describe some of the physical dimensions, such as number of beds, its sys- tems, imaging systems, square footage, and other physical components? Dunbar The children’s hospital and attached medical office building sit on a 65 acre cam- pus in the center of the Baton Rouge health district. The hospital opened as an 82-bed hospi- tal. This includes 40 medical/surgical beds, 30 ICU beds, and 10 hematology/oncol- ogy beds. In addition, the hospital has five operating rooms and 30 emergency depart- ment rooms. The hospital opened with five completed floors and a sixth floor that is shelled for quick expansion. The hospital is over 360,000 square feet, greater than six football fields. The facility was built from the ground up with children in mind, offering a full suite of services for pediatric care. We carry our own complement of imaging, lab- oratory, and pharmacy services tailored to the specific needs of children. Amedical office building is nearing com- pletion adjacent to the hospital. Themedical “The facility was built from the ground up with children in mind, offering a full suite of services for pediatric care. We carry our own complement of imaging, laboratory, and pharmacy services tailored to the specific needs of children.”