OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It was ribbon-cutting day for Children's Hospital and Medical Center, as it hosted the grand opening of its newest addition, the Hubbard Center for Children. The new building nearly doubles the hospital’s physical capacity.
“What makes programs and Children’s hospitals unique, is our people. That’s the best part of being able to give this gift to our team,” Children’s Hospital and Medical Center CEO and President Chanda Chacon said. “To make sure that they can provide the exceptional care that they’ve been providing in an environment that makes it easier for them to do that.”
The nine-story Hubbard Center will allow its ICU units, Cardiac Care Unit, and several other units and services to move to Children’s campus.
Those units and services were previously being housed across the street at Methodist.
“So anytime you take a baby for surgery or radiology procedure, we have to physically load them up, cross the skywalk, and over to the main campus,” Medical Director of NICU Nicole Birge said. “So we’re excited to be all together so it’s just a quick elevator ride away.”
“We kind of feel like we’re coming back within the family and we’re in a space that we can all work together and collaborate better,” Director of NICU Donnetta Perkins said.
That includes a helicopter pad. 179 patients were flown to Children’s in 2020. Now, emergency care will be more efficient.
“We have a great ability now that our helicopter can land on the top of Hubbard, and it’s just a few minutes straight down the elevator to surgical services or emergency to be cared for immediately,” Children’s Hospital and Medical Center Executive Director Beth Greiner said.
The $410 million project also brings in innovative technology and resources that will have a massive impact on the experience for patients and their families.
The four-and-a-half-year mission doesn’t only benefit the metro area, but the entire country.
In the past year, Children’s has served 600,000 patients from 45 different states.
“Our job is to make the most abnormal experience a family will experience as normal as we can, and the way that we designed this building with our team's feedback and our patient's and family's feedback, allows us to deliver on that promise," Chacon said.
“This team is top-notch, and we will be forever grateful for them, and I see this building as a building that will bring hope to the patients and the families that will be cared for here,” said Ben Fangman, father of former PICU patient Katie Fangman.
A new kitchen and dining room area also doubles the hospital’s previous space.
The Hubbard Center for Children will begin bringing patients into the facility starting Sunday, August 29th.
