Children's Hospital that
Wall Street Built
The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian,
the only children's hospital in Manhattan and one of the largest
in the country, opened its doors recently. One of the most
technologically advanced children's hospitals in the world,
the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian
is a family-centered, high-tech facility that offers world-class
care and unparalleled resources in an innovative physical environment
devoted exclusively to children.
Building on NewYork-Presbyterian's record of breakthroughs
in pediatric care, this ten-story, 265,000-square-foot hospital
facility positions The Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian
to expand on its leadership position in pediatric clinical
care, research and the training of future physicians. The Morgan
Stanley Children's Hospital, an affiliate of Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons, provides the highest-level
care in every area of pediatrics and is world renowned for
advancements in neonatal and critical care, cardiology, oncology
and neurology.
The new $120-million building is being funded entirely through
philanthropy, including personal contributions of $55 million
by more than 600 employees of Morgan Stanley.
John Mack, Chairman of the Board
of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said, "For over 100
years, children have come through our doors to get the finest
pediatric care available. Through the outstanding generosity
of the many people involved, NewYork-Presbyterian will have
a new state-of-the-art facility to carry on its tradition
of providing the best care to those who need it most for decades
to come."
In addition to Morgan Stanley, other members of the New York
City financial community, including JP Morgan Chase and a consortium
of donors from Goldman Sachs, made significant contributions
to the new hospital. The medical staff and employees of the
Children's Hospital also made important contributions.
"The relationship between the Children's Hospital and
Morgan Stanley reflects our commitment to the local community
where our employees live and work," said Morgan Stanley
President and Chief Operating Officer Robert Scott. "The
opening of the new hospital means more than our name on a building.
It represents a deep and personal relationship that will last
into the future."
A key element in the design of patient
areas revolves around the understanding of "family-centered care." When
a child is ill, the entire family must be a part of the treatment
and healing process. The philosophy of family-centered care
also emphasizes the importance of teamwork in the treatment
of children, and the involvement of multidisciplinary groups
of physicians and medical professionals to oversee a child's
care from diagnosis forward.
Dr. Herbert Pardes, President and
CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (the parent of the Morgan
Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian), said, "With
the opening of the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of
NewYork-Presbyterian, we now have the physical plant to match
the expert clinical care and cutting-edge research that we
do here every day. We know that when a child is sick, the
entire family hurts. The stress of having a child who needs
hospitalization is unimaginable. Recognizing this, our goal
is to keep the physical and emotional needs of the child
and his or her family at the heart of everything that we
do. This new facility makes it possible."
The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital houses inpatient, ambulatory
and diagnostic services, including the largest neonatal intensive
care unit and pediatric intensive care unit in the tri-state
area. In addition to having floors dedicated to providing intensive
care for children at every age, from the tiniest newborns through
adolescents, there are individual floors dedicated to specialized
services such as cardiology, neurology, oncology and surgery.
The Hospital has 100 medical/surgical beds, 41 pediatric intensive
care beds (including 14 cardiac intensive care beds), and 50
neonatal intensive care beds. Most of the patient rooms are
single occupancy, measuring 382 square feet, with facilities
for parents to stay overnight with their child, computer connections
for the child and the family, and lounge areas that offer the
family privacy and an opportunity for quiet contemplation.
The design of the neonatal intensive
care unit, where the average length of stay is 17 days, reflects
the hospital's attention to the needs of families during
long-term stays. The new unit provides parent amenities and
enhanced privacy at every bedside, surgical capabilities
that minimize the need to transport babies out of the unit,
and a liaison service to greet and assist the families of
new patients. In
the pediatric intensive care unit there are private rooms with
sleep areas for parents, family lounges, a family nourishment
station, and support for clinical research. Both departments
will have their own pharmacies.
The hospital features two design elements with families in
mind: the Launch Pad is a virtual home in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit designed for parents to sleep in and prepare to take
their baby home after a long stay. Patient rooms are divided
into three zones: a clinical space, a child space and a family
space, including a daybed for parents to sleep, a storage space
for longer-term stays, a writing desk and computer-ready internet
access.
"We understand how difficult it is for a child to spend
time in the hospital, and we understand the need to provide
a nurturing environment," said Cynthia Sparer, executive
director, Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian. "Our
commitment is to remember at all times that the patient we
are caring for is a child. We have top physician leaders in
the field of pediatrics, and together with our nurses and the
rest of our staff we dedicate our efforts to these children
and their families."
Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian
is the first New York hospital to offer patients and families
new communication technologies, such as handheld remote and
wireless keyboard devices that allow access to e-mail, the
web and information about healthcare. Via closed-circuit television,
patients too ill to leave their rooms can observe musical theater
and other entertainment that will be staged year-round in the
hospital's Winter Garden. A flat screen television equipped
with additional features, such as movies on demand and games,
will also be a feature in all patient rooms.
The computerized patient rooms are
complemented by an emphasis on education and literacy. The
theme of the new building is "Learning
Through Literature," and it showcases artwork and murals
inspired by such classic children's books as: The Very Hungry
Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice
Sendak, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,
Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst. All featured books will be
available to patients.
To personalize each child's room,
an area of wall space at the entrance of each room is intended
specifically for a child's favorite artwork, messages or
photographs. For the opening of the new facility, the Morgan
Stanley Children's Hospital invited students from New York
City's P.S. 128, Riverdale Country Day School from the Bronx,
Ranney School from Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and Rockland
County's Nyack Public Schools to "adopt
a floor" by contributing original artwork from their students
that will be displayed in these spaces.
In addition, each floor has a dedicated
Child Life Center, a playroom that is a designated "safe space" from
medical procedures where children are taught coping mechanisms,
such as talk therapy and relaxation. Inpatient units also feature
a meditation room, a kitchen, a laundry room and a classroom
staffed by New York City public school teachers.
Speaking of what the new Morgan
Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian will
mean for children, Dr. John M. Driscoll, Jr., Pediatrician-In-Chief
at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, said, "We know we can't duplicate the comforts
of home for our patients. We know that they'll miss going
to school with their friends, playing outside and all of the
other pleasures of childhood, but this new facility enables
us to come as close as we can to making sure that each patient
who comes through our doors receives the highest quality care
in an environment that still allows them to be children."#