Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital supports renovation of pediatric patient care areas

More than $4 million raised through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals efforts at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is set to support the renovations of Units 44 and 45 (the pediatric medicine and surgical units) at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.

The project, with a total budget exceeding $30 million, is funded by the hospital budget, state funds and private philanthropy. This effort is made possible by CMN and UF Health supporters and their commitment to providing the best care for its youngest patients.

Home to the area’s first pediatric emergency room, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital provides care in more than 20 pediatric specialties and serves as a destination for patients dealing with complex medical issues that require specialized attention. All additions focus on providing outstanding and high-quality patient care.

Enhancements include:

• New room furnishings, including lighting, modern finishes and smart TVs
• New sleeper sofas and TVs in all patient rooms
• Additional family rooms where siblings and loved ones can enjoy a space away from the patient’s room, where physicians can meet with parents and loved ones can decompress
• A toddler playroom where infants can play, and Child Life specialists provide therapeutic activities
• A multipurpose room where teenagers and other children can socialize while Street Life and Child Life specialists provide therapeutic activities
• Updated lobbies on each unit
• Large collaborative space for care providers to maximize communication
• New nursing alcoves for patient monitoring
• Upgraded workspaces for fellows, trainee call rooms, breakrooms and locker rooms

The renovation, which is scheduled to take place over two years, will not impact patient care. Staffing levels and physician referrals will remain unchanged, ensuring patients continue to receive high-level, uninterrupted care.

 “This renovation will result in transformative changes in the environment for our patients and staff,” said Rashmin C. Savani, M.B., Ch.B., chair of the department of pediatrics in the UF College of Medicine. “With a complete rethinking of our approach to family-centered care, a collaborative way for our teams to interact and establishing a healing environment, we aim to enhance the already outstanding care we provide.”

The importance of the renovation was highlighted at a groundbreaking ceremony in May, where CMN ambassador Ella Grace and her family had the opportunity to share their medical journey and time at UF Health Shands, which includes time spent in-patient in the units under renovation. They expressed gratitude for the hospital’s dedication to medical expertise and patient experience.

 “Thousands of families will walk through these doors each year and I guarantee you no parent ever wants to be tucking their child in bed at night in the hospital, but for many of us this is our story. Knowing you are just as invested in the environment as you are the care means the world to us,” Ella Grace’s mother, Emily said.

This renovation signifies a new chapter for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, a chapter that all donors, partners and programs that support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals should be thrilled to be a part of.