Driscoll Children’s Hospital's new expansion, the New Pavilion, opens to patients and their families this week. Work on the five-story building began four years ago.
The hospital's Alameda location, which has the only pediatric intensive care unit in South Texas, now has an additional 170,000 sq. ft. with 22 private suites and 25 rooms for day-surgery patients, allowing more privacy for staff and patients’ families.
“These are the most injured and ill children that need critical care, post-surgery, after open-heart surgeries, brain surgeries or traumatic injuries,” said Driscoll Children's Hospital Vice President for Development Martha Avery. “Parents are allowed to stay around the clock in a much more comfortable situation with their child throughout their stay in the ICU.”
The expansion also includes a cardiac intensive care unit, and an outpatient surgery center and lab which are easier to access for families. The New Pavilion is also a more family-friendly environment with playrooms and interactive areas for children.
“Technology plays such an important part of health care, so there’s all-new wiring, all-new technology, and a wonderful boom system that carries a lot of the bells and whistles needed right there in the room,” Avery said. “This is definitely the largest addition to our campus on South Alameda in the last 20 years, so we’re thrilled to have such a beautiful, contemporary facility.”
The remaining floors at the New Pavilion will open when demand calls for it.
