SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Renown Children’s Hospital is beginning construction Monday, April 25, on the new Wilbur D. May Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and children’s inpatient floor. The new facility is nearly 100 percent donor funded and will mean families can receive a wide range of inpatient health care services for their children in their own community.
“Our donors have contributed nearly five million dollars to make this next phase of Renown Children’s Hospital possible,” said Jim Miller, President and CEO of Renown Health. “When you consider today’s challenging economic environment, that says a lot about our community’s commitment to our children’s health. We are very grateful for the way our supporters are stepping forward.”
A special “Wall Busting” ceremony is set for April 25 from 4-5 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Sierra Tower to mark the occasion. First Lady Kathleen Sandoval, Sparks Mayor Geno Martini, donors and other dignitaries will be on hand to support community philanthropists who will swing the first hammers to kick off the construction project.
Renderings, blueprints and plans will also be displayed in the construction area to help envision the scope of what will be done.
“Having pediatric services like these provided by Renown Children’s Hospital benefit the overall care for children in northern Nevada because families don’t have to leave town to receive care,” Sandoval said. “Children really need to be close to the ones they love when they are sick or injured. I’m grateful Renown understands and is leading the way for children’s healthcare in Nevada.”
In addition to the new PICU, the children’s unit will feature 16 new inpatient rooms supported by the Nell J. Redfield Foundation; two new therapeutic play rooms (one for teens and one for elementary-school-age-children); the Ronald McDonald House Family Room; three ADA approved wheelchair accessible rooms sponsored by the Marshall R. Matley Foundation; and a child-friendly environment that includes artwork, colors, furniture, lighting and wall-treatments that cater to children. It is estimated that the project will be completed within a year.
Renown is home to the region’s only NACHRI-affiliated Children’s Hospital; the region’s only hospital affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals; the region’s only Children’s ER; the region’s only PICU, the largest Neonatal ICU in northern Nevada; the John and Sue Dermondy Children’s Healing Garden; northern Nevada’s only Cystic Fibrosis Program; and the region’s only Children’s Specialty Care center, treating patients with tumors, cancer, blood disease and other major illnesses.
For more information and to follow the hospital’s progress, visit renown.org/children.
