Nationwide Children's Hospital Celebrates Completion of Seven-Year Campus Expansion, Largest Pediatric Expansion Project in U.S. History

Project finished on-time and $107 million below final budget – even with multiple enhancements;

Alongside community partners and organizations, new hospital is dedicated; In-patients will move June 20

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the City of Columbus celebrates its bicentennial, Nationwide Children's Hospital celebrates the biggest achievement in its 120-year history, changing both the Columbus skyline and the future of pediatric care.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120611/DC22547)

In a dedication ceremony held this morning, Nationwide Children's, alongside community leaders and partners, celebrated the completion of its seven-year campus expansion, the largest pediatric expansion project in United States history. Once renovations have been made to the existing hospital, Nationwide Children's will house 460 patient beds on its main campus in addition to the 92 off-site newborn special and intensive care beds the hospital leases from local maternity wards.

The expansion adds 2.1 million square feet to Nationwide Children's downtown campus. The project will continue to create additional jobs through 2014, bringing the total job creation to 2,400 and a community economic impact of $1.3 billion.

The six key areas of growth of the campus expansion include a 12-story, 750,000 square foot new main hospital; a six-acre front lawn and green space that will complement the existing Livingston Park; a LEED-certified silver central energy plant; expanded parking with the Livingston Avenue garage (more than 1,500 parking spaces) and the two-story underground parking garage (more than 400 spaces) located beneath the front lawn and connected via tunnel to the new tower; a clinical research building that houses the Surgery Center, the Center for Digestive Disorders, GI procedures and clinical psychology as well as two floors dedicated to research; and an expanded West campus that includes a research facility known as Research Building III (RBIII).

The complete master facilities project finishes on-time and under budget with a total estimated price tag of $783 million. The project, including the 12-story hospital expansion and other enhancements, was originally projected at a cost of $810 million. As the effort progressed, additional enhancements were approved by the Nationwide Children's Board of Trustees bringing the total final estimated project cost to $889 million. These included expansion of both the new main hospital and research building as well as the addition of the underground parking garage and enhanced green space above it. Through focused efforts on cost savings and maximizing favorable economic conditions, Nationwide Children's was able to deliver the expanded project scope while coming in $28 million below the original projected cost and $107 million below the revised budget figures.

Departments and services of Nationwide Children's and current in-patients moving into the new main hospital will make their move on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. This includes the Emergency Department which will continue to operate in its current location until June 20.

SOURCE Nationwide Children’s Hospital