HJBR Nov/Dec 2019

Dialogue 14 NOV / DEC 2019 I  Healthcare Journal of baton rouge   office building, which will be used to house pediatric subspecialists, is almost 90,000 square feet with four floors. The building is scheduled to open in mid-December. We were careful to frame the design with future growth inmind. Both the hospital and the medical office building can hold two more floors on top of the current structure, allowing for future growth. We are also already expanding, with plans to add a 10 room, 11 bed surgical and subspecialty Neo- natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), scheduled to be complete in mid-2020. The entire hospital has been designed with patients and families inmind. Our fam- ily advisory committee has had a great deal of input on the aesthetics and functionality of the design elements.This is, perhaps, what gives the children’s hospital its true char- acter as a healing place for children. Each floor of the hospital represents a Louisiana ecosystem. For example, the emergency department is the bayou and the medi- cal surgical floor is the piney woods. Our team has developed animal ambassadors from each of these ecosystems to represent each of the floors, and our team members, patients, and families have named the ani- mals. This design approach, coupled with our geographic breadth of service, give the distinct feel that this facility is Louisiana’s children’s hospital. Editor What can you tell us about the years of fundraising and the success of this project? Are there some individuals or organizations who have really surprised you in the fundrais- ing process? Dunbar The community support for the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital has been overwhelming. Since we launched the capital campaign in July of 2014, we have had almost 60,000 donors give over 180,000 gifts to help make our children’s hospital a reality. This includes over 2,000 Our Lady of the Lake teammembers that have given nearly $800,000 through employee giving programs. We have also been fortunate to have almost 400 donor families and com- panies contribute from $5,000 to $1.5 mil- lion toward the project. Together we raised more than $55million that is making a posi- tive change in children’s healthcare delivery now, and for years to come. Editor What does this mean to the old chil- dren’s hospital, and how will those beds be used going forward? Dunbar This is an exciting opportunity for the regional medical center to strategically expand services for adults. Renovation is underway for an intensive care step-down unit, and plans for expanded dialysis, non- invasive cardiology, neurosciences, and oncology services are in development. More information on these expansions will be coming soon. Editor Can you tell us some of the unique pro- grams and opportunities that a stand-alone children’s hospital provides? Dunbar The new children’s hospital has allowed us the exciting opportunity to design pediatric-specific care processes based on industry best practices. One exam- ple is our approach to pediatric cancer care. We are one of only eight St. Jude affiliate clinics nationwide, and the transition to the new hospital has allowed us to develop a physical blueprint that optimizes care for these children. We co-located our St. Jude services and inpatient hematology/oncol- ogy services on one floor of the hospital.This includes infusion services, clinic, pharmacy, and inpatient services. Families of children with blood disorders or cancer now only go to one location for all of their services. This is a dramatic improvement in efficiency and quality of care. Children’s hospitals have a special culture, and having a teamand environment focused solely on pediatric caremakes a difference in safety and patient experience.Agreat exam- ple of this is our child life program. Child life specialists are specially trained to pro- vide childrenwith age-appropriate prepara- tion for medical procedures, pain manage- ment and coping strategies, and play and “While we have provided trau- ma services for children at the regional medical center, the new children’s hospital has given us an opportunity to become one of the first dedicated pediatric trauma programs in Louisiana.”