Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota raises record-setting $168.7 million to complete Next Generation of Care Campaign

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to the generosity of the community, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota today announced the completion of the Next Generation of Care fundraising campaign, which secured $168.7 million in philanthropic gifts from more than 48,000 donors. The campaign is the largest fundraising campaign completed among independent pediatric hospitals in the five-state region, and the money raised powered Children's to complete a $300 million renovation and expansion.

Children's embarked on the $300 million renovation and expansion in 2007—the largest in the organization's 90-year history—and established the $150 million Next Generation of Care campaign to support the initiative. Seven years later, Children's not only reached its fundraising goal but surpassed it by 13 percent.

"This is a significant philanthropic moment for Minnesota and we are thrilled to see how the community has rallied around Children's to ensure our region has the best pediatric health care available," said Theresa Pesch, RN, president of the Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Foundation. "The monumental enhancements this campaign made possible ensures our continued commitment to driving advances and innovations in pediatric health care well into the future."

The Next Generation of Care campaign contributed to the development and advancement of a number of innovative patient and family spaces and services throughout Children's Minneapolis and St. Paul hospital locations, including:

• Children's – Minneapolis:
  • Launch of The Mother Baby Center, a joint venture with Allina Health's Abbott Northwestern Hospital providing moms and babies the most advanced and integrated maternal-fetal care in the region
  • New spaces for a comprehensive cardiovascular center, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and infant care center, pediatric cancer and blood disorders center, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), infusion center and specialty care center
  • The region's only Level I pediatric-only trauma center, fueled by a $17.5 million gift from UnitedHealthcare
  • The first Ronald McDonald House in the upper Midwest housed within a pediatric hospital
  • An expanded family resource center, sibling play area and Star Studio – a theater for live performances broadcast to patient rooms

• Children's – St. Paul:
  • A new NICU, which also was among the first in the country to include private patient NICU rooms
  • A new integrated pediatric neuroscience center
  • A new PICU and medical/surgical unit
  • A rooftop garden designed for healing, respite, learning and activity to be enjoyed by patients, families and staff
  • An expanded and redesigned emergency department with enhanced patient and trauma rooms and private family spaces
  • An expanded family resource center, new chapel and new state-of-the-art Child Life Zone for therapeutic play

• Across both campuses:
  • A total of 280 private and spacious patient rooms designed to help reduce stress and make it easier for parents to stay with their children
  • New surgery centers that include state-of-the-art operating suites and pre/post-operative rooms, and redesigned family waiting areas
  • Onsite Geek Squad precincts which provide technology expertise to patients and families – with many services provided at no cost
  • An award-winning Arts and Healing program designed to integrate the arts with architecture, landscape and medicine to promote a warm, creative healing atmosphere

"Children's is one of the greatest assets of the Twin Cities and the broader region with some of the best doctors, nurses and staff in the country, and by investing in it through expansion and renovation, we now have the facilities to go with our excellent care," said Michael Ciresi, chair, Children's Foundation board and name partner at Minneapolis-based Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi. "But we are not done. We must continue to enhance Children's resources as we grow our abilities to serve our children with one of the nation's finest children's hospitals. Philanthropy is critical to that effort."

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty-care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children's maintains its longstanding commitment to the community to improve children's health by providing high-quality, family-centered pediatric services and advancing those efforts through research and education. This work is made possible in large part by generous philanthropic and volunteer support from individuals and organizations throughout the state and region. An award-winning health system, Children's is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital and by The Leapfrog Group for quality and efficiency. Please visit childrensMN.org.

Media Contact:
Katie Heinze
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SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota