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Cincinnati Children’s Opens State-of-the-Art Pediatric Facility

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center will dedicate its newest medical facility at 3430 Burnet Ave. on November 20.

The Avondale building will house several outpatient clinics that have been at the main hospital. The first patients will be seen in the beginning of December.

Dignitaries who will make proclamations at the event include Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune.

The building was created to offer more space and easier navigation for families and patients with special needs. The clinics in the building will include: the Kelly O’Leary Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders; the Thomas Center for Down Syndrome; the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics; Speech Pathology; Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, Audiology Services and the Rubinstein Library.

Some of the special features of the building are a zipline, two rock walls, more than 20 swings, two playgrounds and a bike path. The building has a New Activities of Daily Living Suite to help developmentally and physically challenged patients with bathing, dressing, washing clothes and other life skills. The building also has toy and parent libraries and kiosks for patient check-in at every reception area.

Focus groups of parents whose children would be patients in the clinics provided many ideas for the design by DNK Architects. As a result of the parents’ suggestions, the building will have wider corridors, accessible play features on each floor and larger exam and treatment spaces. The building will also have quiet areas and waiting rooms with special features, such as lighting and distraction stations to create a soothing and calm space for patients.

Gary and Sally Hayes are looking forward to the opening of the 3430 Burnet Ave. building. Their 14-year-old daughter, Emily, has been a frequent visitor to the Thomas Center for Down Syndrome. Sally is especially looking forward to the new building’s accessible features in the waiting rooms for her daughter and the other patients who will visit the center.

“The interpersonal stations will calm the children while they wait for their appointments,” Sally said. “The extra calming features on the floors will help make the patient’s experiences more positive.”

She added that the new building shows that Cincinnati Children’s is dedicated to the families and patients who visit the hospital. “We’re blessed to live in a community where our children’s hospital values its patients with special needs so much that they have dedicated the space and resources for those specific patients. As a result, the patients’ lives are better.”

The 3430 Burnet building will also feature artwork in exam rooms and public spaces that was created by community and patient artists. The artwork celebrates what makes each artist one of a kind. The goal of the artwork and graphics in the six-story facility is to build self-esteem through positive reinforcement. The artwork incorporates quotes from the storybook, “Hooray for You” by Marianne Richmond. The “uniquely me” viewpoint is an inspirational and motivational model celebrating individual uniqueness and diversity within the human race.

Jim Anderson, president and CEO, Cincinnati Children’s, says the building represents a unique partnership between many entities.

“The opening of 3430 Burnet represents the first phase of redevelopment and revitalization of Burnet Avenue,” he said. “This building would not be possible without Cincinnati Children’s, the City of Cincinnati, the Uptown Consortium, the Burnet Ave. Revitalization Team, the Avondale Community Council, neighbors and community leaders.”

“Although this project is now complete, we remain committed to partnering with the community to create a thriving Avondale to make a real difference for the people who live, work and worship here,” he said.

About Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of 10 children’s hospitals in the United States to make the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Reports 2009-10 America’s Best Children’s Hospitals issue. It is #1 ranked for digestive disorders and is also highly ranked for its expertise in respiratory diseases, cancer, neonatal care, heart care, neurosurgery, diabetes, orthopedics, kidney disorders and urology. 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.

President Barack Obama in June 2009 cited Cincinnati Children’s as an “island of excellence” in health care. For its achievements in transforming health care, 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. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.