Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Opens Peter J. King Pediatric Emergency Department

ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota today celebrated the opening of the Peter J. King Pediatric Emergency Department on its St. Paul campus. The new emergency department is named for the Peter J. King Family Foundation whose philanthropic gift funded a significant portion of the renovated and expanded emergency department. Children's unveiled the new facility and its new name at a grand opening celebration earlier today.

Located at 345 N. Smith Ave. in St. Paul, the Peter J. King Pediatric Emergency Department features a new entrance at the corner of Grand and Smith Avenues. The revitalized space is designed to increase efficiency while also providing an overall improved patient and family experience for the emergency department's growing patient volume. The renovations include enhanced patient and trauma rooms, private family spaces and an overall brighter, more comfortable environment. 

"Between our St. Paul and Minneapolis hospitals, Children's has the busiest pediatric emergency departments in the Twin Cities," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, president and CEO of Children's of Minnesota. "Thanks to the Peter J. King Family Foundation and the generosity of the St. Paul community, this state-of-the-art facility now matches the level of care inside."

The new emergency department at Children's – St. Paul is expected to treat more than 42,000 patients in 2012 alone. Several of the building improvements that will directly impact patient care include:

• Newly expanded triage area to increase efficiency and drastically cut down on patient wait times
• Renovated physician and nurse work area to allow for greater collaboration and improved communication
• Updated resuscitation and trauma rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology for the most critical patients
• Three new rapid treatment rooms specifically designed to treat lower acuity patients, which assists in decreasing wait times and staffing care appropriately
• Two new negative air flow rooms to prevent the spread of airborne diseases
• Two additional safe rooms to provide a safe and comfortable environment for patients experiencing mental health emergencies

When designing this new space, Children's was purposeful in thinking about the overall patient and family experience and the aesthetic appeal of the building. Added enhancements include:

• Newly expanded lobby area that provides a quiet, more private space for waiting patients and families
• Brightly lit corridors and work stations
• Child-friendly artwork and photography installed throughout the emergency department
• Enhanced patient rooms with space dedicated for the patient, the family and the caregivers; renovation efforts have led to five new rooms and 18 significantly refurbished patient rooms
• New family consultation rooms for added privacy

Established in 1985, the Peter J. King Family Foundation is dedicated to improving children's health, education and welfare in the family environment. The Foundation's focus is to provide "brick-and-mortar" facilities to local communities and organizations whose activities are dedicated to the improvement of children's health, education, welfare and the family environment.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota:
Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health care organizations in the United States, with 347 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 12,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient clinic visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children. Please visit childrensMN.org.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota