Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Navicent Health officials have their eyes on a new pediatric care facility.
The goal of opening a new building for the Children’s Hospital within the next three years was announced Monday.
“Children are not small adults — their health needs are different and are constantly changing,” Josh Glenn, medical director of pediatric surgery for Navicent’s Children’s Hospital, said in a release. “With a proven track record of providing excellent care, we are faced with the need to replace the current Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health facility.”
Ninfa Saunders, Navicent Health’s president and CEO, made the announcement. She noted in Monday’s statement that the “regional referral hospital” averages 45,000 visits annually to the current 112-bed location.
“Many of these children are experiencing severe and complex health conditions,” Saunders said. “In addition, we also provide preventative and primary care to ensure that the region’s children grow up healthy and strong.”
No location or design for the new facility was announced, but the release noted that the goals for the project include “a larger facility designed specifically for children and their families and equipped with the latest in state-of-the-art technology.”
In addition, no estimated cost is known at this time, but Saunders said that charitable gifts would always be part of new hospital construction.
“In order to make this plan a reality, Navicent Health is seeking philanthropic support,” she said. “Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health, has always relied on philanthropic support, and we are grateful to our many donors. We invite the community to become a part of this legacy.”
The announcement comes less than two years after Navicent’s Peyton Anderson Cancer Center opened on First Street.
The Children’s Hospital has been open in a former adult health care facility since 1987, with the building itself having been constructed in 1962. In addition to regular pediatric care, the hospital is also used as a teaching site for Mercer University School of Medicine’s pediatrics department.
Source : macon.com
