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Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus Marks First Six Months Milestone; Serves Thousands of Patients and Makes Positive Impact on Butler County

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

In February, Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus marked its sixth month anniversary since opening in August of last year with over 55,000 patient encounters conducted in that time. Liberty Campus gives families more immediate access to a 24-hour pediatric emergency room, outpatient surgery, radiology and diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, specialized therapies and more than 20 pediatric medical and surgical specialty clinics.

Char Mason, vice president of Outpatient Services, explains that Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus was built to help meet the needs of the large numbers of patients who live in Butler County who had to travel to Cincinnati Children’s Burnet campus for services. “Liberty Campus is a prime example of how we are committed to bringing world-class pediatric care to patients and families,” she said.

The advanced services available at Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus enable their pediatric specialists to better meet the needs of patients. The emergency department is open 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week and is fully equipped and staffed to treat pediatric emergencies. It is supported around the clock by laboratory testing, X-ray and a short-stay observation unit where if needed, patients can stay for up to 23 hours. For outpatient surgery at the facility, there are eight operating rooms available for a variety of general and specialty procedures, including: dentistry and oral surgery, orthopaedic surgery, gastroenterology, urology, adolescent gynecology, general surgery, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology (ENT). A helipad and a Mobile Intensive Care Unit are available around the clock for special situations that require patients to be transferred to Cincinnati Children’s main campus located near downtown Cincinnati.

Pamela Murphy, a Liberty Township resident and mother of three girls, said she and her husband moved to Cincinnati from the Seattle area a few years ago so they would be closer to a top-notch children’s hospital. They were thrilled when they learned about the opening of the Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus because it was so close to their home and they knew the physicians at the facility would be able to provide great care for their youngest daughter, 7-year-old Amelia, who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida. “Since Amelia has countless routine follow-up appointments and needs emergency care we’ve used the Liberty Campus ED and we’ve seen some of her physicians at the different clinics there,” Murphy said. Murphy added that the Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus has made a world of difference to her neighbors and friends in the Butler County area who have children with chronic medical issues. “Everyone who I know that can use the Liberty Campus uses it because it’s convenient. What would have taken two full hours round trip to go to the main location of Cincinnati Children’s can now take as little as 30 minutes for my family,” Murphy explained. “It’s nice to not have to take Amelia out of a full day of school for one appointment,” she said. She also added that it has been good seeing the hospital sponsor community events such as local sporting leagues and township celebrations. “Seeing the Cincinnati Children’s name out in the community helps the citizens in our neighborhood feel connected to and supported by the staff at Liberty. They’ve done a lot to help build loyalty and trust.”
Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus offers an array of diagnostic imaging services, including fluoroscopy, MRI, CT scans, ultrasound and nuclear medicine specialized for pediatrics. An extensive on-site laboratory is available, and specialized physical, occupational, sports and speech therapies enable patients to schedule appointments closer to home. In the pediatric balance center, there is the same type of equipment that is used by NASA astronauts when they train, and in the sports medicine clinic, patients are able to do therapeutic exercises on the same type of equipment used by the Ohio State football team.

During day and evening hours, an on-site Spanish interpreter is available to ensure all patients receive the care they need. Additional interpreters are available by phone at all times.

According to Mike Juengling, Butler County's Director of Development, Cincinnati Children's Liberty Campus has also helped increase revenue in Butler County. "Within its first six months of being here, the Liberty Campus has had a significant positive economic impact on the county," he said. There are families and businesses that have moved to Butler County to be close to this facility." In addition, families of patients that do not live in the area will use the area hotels, restaurants and stores when they visit the facility. This brings outside money into the community."

In the months to come, Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus expects to serve more than 40,000 additional patients during its first year of operations. It is planned for the campus to meet the pediatric medical needs of at least 100,000 families by the time of its first birthday in August.

“Cincinnati Children’s is dedicated to delivering the most effective and efficient services to every patient we serve in order to truly change the outcome,” says Mason. “We know that Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus is helping us achieve that goal.”

About Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of America’s top three children’s hospitals for general pediatrics and is highly ranked for its expertise in digestive diseases, respiratory diseases, cancer, neonatal care, heart care and neurosurgery, according to the annual ranking of best children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. One of the three largest children’s hospitals in the U.S., Cincinnati Children’s is affiliated with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

For its achievements in transforming healthcare, Cincinnati Children's is one of six U.S. hospitals since 2002 to be awarded the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize ® for leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The hospital is a national and international referral center for complex cases, so that children with the most difficult-to-treat diseases and conditions receive the most advanced care leading to better outcomes.