May 1, 2012 - Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Baltimore
A carefully choreographed move of several hundred patients from the original Johns Hopkins Hospital into The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center and the Sheikh Zayed Tower took place on April 29 and 30, right before the official opening.
“This is a transformative milestone in the history of Johns Hopkins Medicine,” says Edward D. Miller, M.D., dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “We are so pleased that this day has finally arrived and we can deliver the highest levels of care that Johns Hopkins is known for in this beautiful new facility.”
The new building, one of the largest hospital construction projects in U.S. history, is erected on five acres and includes two 12-story patient towers, 560 all-private patient rooms, 33 state-of-the-art, spacious operating rooms, and expansive new adult and pediatric emergency departments. The facility has the most sophisticated diagnostic imaging equipment, such as an intraoperative MRI scanner for neurosurgery cases and high-speed, low-dose CT scanners, as well as the latest technology for surgical and minimally invasive procedures.
With healing gardens, soaring lobbies, a hand-picked collection of more than 500 works of art and cheerful, light-filled patient rooms, the new building is designed to provide a welcoming and caring environment to advance the healing process.
Patient rooms have sleeping accommodations for family members. Sound-absorbing features in patient care corridors, ranging from acoustical ceiling tiles to a quiet nurse-call system, promote a tranquil environment. There are also expanded food options and food delivery times to meet the nutritional needs of patients.
“We are fortunate that generous visionaries from across many communities helped us to achieve our vision for a new environment of care for the 21st century,” says Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, noting that philanthropic contributions provided one-third of the funding for the project. The state of Maryland contributed $100 million.
“We are grateful for the hard work of so many of our very dedicated staff and faculty members who have made it possible for us to have clinical facilities that match the excellence of our medical care and the needs of our patients,” says Peterson.
The Bloomberg Children’s Center is named in honor of the late mother of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The facility has 10 surgical suites designated exclusively for pediatric patients and 205 all-private patient rooms, including a 45-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a 40-bed pediatric intensive care unit.
“Every detail of our children’s hospital is designed to enhance the care and comfort of our young patients and make it convenient for parents to stay at their child’s bedside,” says George Dover, M.D., director of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. “We have sleeping accommodations for parents in all of the patient rooms, as well as kitchen and laundry facilities on pediatric floors. Our goal is to make it easier and more comfortable for parents to be involved in their children’s care,” adds Dover.
A two-story playroom with a basketball hoop, an interactive TV system, in-room gaming as well as a TV studio for child-life activities are among the amenities included to make the hospital stay more pleasant for children.
The Zayed Tower is named in honor of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the first president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His son, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the current UAE president, wanted to pay tribute to his father in this way.
The Zayed Tower is the new home of the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute, offering a full range of cardiovascular services. The tower also houses advanced neurological and neurosurgical services as well as transplant surgery, trauma care, orthopedics, general surgery, and labor and delivery. It has a total of 355 private patient rooms, including 224 for acute care, 96 for intensive care and 35 for labor and delivery. The rooftop of the Sheikh Zayed Tower has a helistop for patients who arrive by helicopter.
The hospital’s new landscaped main entrance, at 1800 Orleans Street, provides ample space for vehicles to drop off and pick up patients. All entrances to the hospital, including the adult and pediatric emergency departments, are located in this area for convenient patient access.
Patients and visitors have convenient parking in the Orleans Street Garage across the street from the new building, with easy access to the hospital along two glass walkway bridges above Orleans Street. A separate ambulance entrance away from the main entrance provides privacy to patients.
The main floor of the building has a food market/garden bistro, a gift shop, a conference center, an interfaith chapel and a guest services office.
Construction of the new building provided more than 4,700 jobs, 1,000 of which were filled by Baltimore City residents, 280 of whom live in East Baltimore neighborhoods surrounding The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
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Gary Stephenson 410-955-5384 – gstephenson@jhmi.edu
Ellen Beth Levitt: 410-955-5307 – eblevitt@jhmi.edu
Kim Hoppe: 410-502-9430 – khoppe1@jhmi.edu
