On Saturday, November 6, 2021, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) moved patients from its 1990s era critical care buildings into the extra-large private rooms located in its new Critical Care Tower – which has been dubbed “Location G.” Moving all of the patients into the new building on a single day required a great deal of detailed planning, and the planning paid off – the move was very successful.
That same morning, doors opened to the new larger Emergency Department and Urgent Care Clinic – located off the new private drive that once was Erkenbrecher Avenue. The addition tripled the ER’s size to 90,000 square feet. The Emergency Department has five – Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Bays and sixty treatment rooms, twelve of which are designed as flex-space rooms that can be used for behavioral health and medical treatment. With new imaging suites located on the same floor, essential emergency services are now truly all in one place.
KFI provided all mechanical and electrical engineering and controls integration services for the project. Our engineering team was essential to the success of the building opening – ensuring that all systems were “GO” – and ready for patient care to begin.
Location G, an 8-story, 609,000 square-foot addition to CCHMC’s main campus (along with 136,000 square feet of renovation), represents a $600 million-dollar investment toward the future of pediatric medicine. The new building increases bed capacity by 249 beds. It is home to CCHMC’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program. The new building provides more space for families and patients to relax and unwind within a safe, healing environment. Additional resources, such as quiet rooms, family lounges, workout facilities and laundries are available within the care units for use by families. The CCHMC design and leadership team collaborated with patients, families, staff, and the community to create thoughtful touches throughout the building that will enhance the patient and family experience. The opening of the new Critical Care Building expands and enhances CCHMC’s ability to provide comprehensive care for some of the world’s most vulnerable patients.
The expansion of space and services necessitated an expansion of CCHMC’s workforce. At over 16,700 employees, CCHMC is the largest medical employer in the region. Ranked #3 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, Cincinnati Children’s is a world leader in pediatric health.
