The new floor and 24 additional patient rooms in the Children’s Tower are set to open on Nov. 17, which means more patients will get the expert care they need.
CHoR just cut the ribbon on Level 11, our newest acute care pediatrics unit, expanding capacity in our children’s system of care, just in time for a busy time of year.
The entirely new floor is dedicated to caring for kids with acute or chronic illnesses or injuries and those recovering from surgery. The 24-bed unit complements our existing two acute care pediatrics units and brings CHoR’s total bed count across all services and campuses to 235.
Increasing capacity for our patients
“CHoR has experienced tremendous growth since the Tower opened in 2023 including a 40% increase in acute care volume in just the first year of operations,” VCU President Dr. Michael Rao shared with ribbon-cutting attendees.
But it’s not just the expert care that led kids from 47 states and outside the U.S. to come to CHoR last year alone, it’s our team.
“We’re caring for more children than ever,” said Elias Neujahr, CHoR president. “We’re here for common childhood issues and complex conditions that require our experts from more than 50 specialties. These folks train for what they love to do, and that’s to help kids and families and one another.”
One of those kids was 16-year-old Norah Davis. She was hospitalized in March of this year thinking she may be dehydrated from a viral infection but learned she actually needed surgery for a life-threatening gastrointestinal condition.
“My experience was nothing like I imagined,” remembered Norah. “I wasn’t treated like just another patient, instead I was made to feel like I was the only patient, and I met so many wonderful people playing a part in helping me get well.”
She is so grateful for not only the care she was given, but the compassion she was shown during a very scary period of her life.
“Even though many may not realize it, the kindness they showed me was something I will always carry with me,” Norah explained. “I will forever be grateful for the amazing people who made such a difficult time a little easier.”
Now more kids will have access to that care and compassion as well as the unit’s unique features.
What sets ACP 11 apart
The expansion includes a dedicated Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, with rooms specifically designed to evaluate kids experiencing seizures or complex neurological conditions. Those rooms even have floors with extra cushioning to protect the child in the event they have a seizure in their room. There’s also an EMU playroom specially designed so our kiddos can leave their rooms but still have their brain activity monitored via Bluetooth technology.
“Opening our EMU helps us expand our child neurology and epilepsy surgery services, providing our patients with the most challenging seizure diagnoses with the latest and greatest surgical and medical treatments,” explained Dr. Matt Schefft, interim chief of hospital medicine. “Not only that, more families are turning to CHoR for all types of specialty care, including surgery, clinical research studies and emergency services that often require inpatient admissions.”
Other family-friendly amenities on the floor include a family lounge, quiet room, and consult room, in addition to others throughout the Tower, like the Child Life Zone, Ronald McDonald House and more.
The new unit is part of the now award-winning Children’s Tower. The American Society for Health Care Engineering has recognized the Tower, designed by HKS and built by DPR, with the Vista Award for New Construction. The award honors projects that show excellence in planning, design, construction and operation of the healthcare environment.
An environment that nurtures our patients when they need it most.
“I walked in not wanting to go to the hospital,” shared Norah. “But I walked out not wanting to leave.”