WakeMed received approval from the Board of Directors to expand our pediatric facilities by moving the inpatient Pediatric Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to the fourth floor of the future Raleigh Campus Patient Tower.
Due to funding constraints, original plans for the Tower did not call for the fourth floor to be completed in Phase I. The Board asked the WakeMed Foundation to help make the new pediatric unit a reality by launching a $20 million fundraising campaign to gain community support to fund the project. We are pleased to announce that the Foundation Board of Directors voted in late February to take on the children's project as a major focus of its Campaign 2011 capital campaign.
The new children's area will feature a larger inpatient Pediatric Unit, an expanded Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, 12 new observation beds and a minor procedure room. Future phases under consideration include new endoscopy and surgical equipment for children. Current pediatric services will move to the new Patient Tower, leaving 4C for the expansion of women's services and the Intensive Care Nursery.
'For years, we have seen a continuous rise in the demand for WakeMed's pediatric services including emergency, inpatient and outpatient services. This increase is consistent with the growth of our community. As the leader in children's care for Wake County, it is the right time for us to expand in order to meet the needs of our pediatricians and the community,' comments Dr. Bill Atkinson, president and CEO.
'We truly appreciate the strong support we have received from the pediatrician community as well as our teaching faculty from the UNC at Chapel Hill School of Medicine to ensure our children have access to the quality care they deserve.'
Last year alone, WakeMed cared for 52,516 children through our emergency departments and inpatient services, making us one of the largest providers of pediatric care in North Carolina. This number does not include the thousands of children we care for each year through our outpatient surgery, radiology and rehabilitation programs, and clinic services.
The recommendation to expand our children's services came after extensive research and planning conducted by a multi-disciplinary Pediatrics Planning Steering Committee, led by Deb Friberg, EVP and COO, and comprised of numerous community physicians and members of WakeMed's senior leadership team.
