ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Monday, ABC Action News got a sneak peak at what will be one of the most state of the art children's hospitals in the southeast.
While it will have all the fancy equipment and technology, it was also designed with families in mind.
It looked like a scene out of Grey's Anatomy the TV show. In reality, it was a dress rehearsal for a large scale production: moving patients from the 42-year-old All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg to the new state of the art facility a hop, skip and a few well placed tunnels away.
Hospital spokesperson Ann Miller says, "It's ten stories high, it's over double the size of the existing facility. And one of the things I think is important to the patients and families is that almost every patient bed is in an individual room. So the families will have their individual space."
A pull out sleeper sofa means many rooms sleep three plus the patient. Rooms contain an interactive game system run off bed controls, WIFI, the internet. Heck, it's almost like a kids playroom, but it's the new technology that sets it apart.
Miller says, "There is so much more technology involved in the care of patients. We use machines we probably hadn't even thought about 42-years-ago that takes up a lot of room. So in order to be able to deliver that kind of technical care you have to create the space for the equipment as well."
The $403 million dollar project will be home to the largest pediatric ER in the state of Florida. Doctor David Cooper says, "Some people say size matters but its not just about size, it's about quality. What comes in being the biggest is economy of scale. So what we also have is personnel, nursing, physicians and others teams to be able to provide cutting edge care in the state of Florida."
Highlights include 12 state of the art operating rooms, three intensive care units, four playrooms, the largest ICU for newborns in the state, and a pediatric cancer and blood disorder center.
Designers thought of hurricane Katrina, and included disaster ready features like a helipad that can handle even the heaviest military choppers used for evacuations.
If you'd like to tour the facility yourself, they are offering public tours Saturday.
For more information call 727-767-6801 or visit
www.allkids.org.
