Major Expansion Ushers in New Era at Stony Brook Children’s

Suffolk County’s only children’s hospital will have a new home with the construction of a 150-bed Hospital Pavilion at Stony Brook Medicine.

The Children’s Hospital will feature a dedicated entrance with a secure private lobby, a concierge and direct elevators to the pediatric inpatient units. Amenities — all designed with children in mind — include a large video screen in the lobby with a live feed from an aquarium, multiple playrooms (including a neutropenic playroom for sicker children and a teen room equipped with the latest electronics); an outdoor garden on the 6th floor for events; meditative and play spaces; and classrooms in which a patient’s teacher can come in and work with him or her.

The all-private patient rooms have been designed around delivering care at the bedside, and are divided into three distinct zones: the family zone that includes a sleeping sofa for at least one parent, the patient zone that includes LED lights that allows kids to change the color of their room, and a caregiver zone. Outside of each room is a secure computer for charting, allowing nurses to be continuously out on the unit and at the bedside. Within each room there is a large flat-panel TV loaded with age-appropriate videos on specific diagnoses, which is linked to the nurse call system. Electronics also indicate when a doctor is in the room and can scan each person’s badge to ensure they are in the right room.

“At the new Stony Brook Children’s, we are maximizing the use of technology in our caregiving, safety, security, charting and other measures,” said Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “It will be the next generation children’s hospital.

“Right now, Stony Brook Children’s — with more than 140 physicians in 30 pediatric specialties — delivers the most advanced pediatric care in Suffolk County,” she said. “The new hospital not only reinforces this excellence, but also will provide us with the state-of-the-art facilities, technology and environment to remain of the forefront of children’s medicine.”

Along with $53 million in State support, thanks to New York State Senators Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) and John Flanagan (R-Northport), Stony Brook Children’s is benefiting from a $10 million matching challenge grant from an anonymous donor, which has raised more than $6 million to date.

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