The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center and the Sheikh Zayed Tower officially opened at the Johns Hopkins Hospital this past Tuesday, May 1. The renovation consisted of the complete construction of two towers, which are specifically designed for the medical needs, physical and mental comfort and overall happiness of the patients.
This construction project cost $1.1 billion and ultimately yielded 1.6 million square feet of new space. Each tower is 12 stories high and has a total of 560 rooms, such as updated operating rooms, emergency care departments for adults and children alike and state-of-the-art technologies for cutting edge treatments.
Each of the 560 newly added patient rooms is private, which is especially important for the children’s center.
“Parents can sleep in the rooms with the kids, and make themselves at home. It basically becomes the child and parent’s personal room,” Kim Martin, Director of Communication and Public Affairs for the Children’s Center, said.
Moving the patients to the newly constructed additions was the final part of the renovation process that had to be completed in order for the hospital to be fully functional again.
“The patient move
was the part everyone was most nervous about, but everything went like clockwork,” Martin said.
The new additions and developments within the hospital, have been well received by the doctors, many of whom are thoroughly impressed with the new conditions. There’s a cafe that recently opened for business, and a courtyard garden for patients to relax in.
“The closeness of the inpatient clinic to our rooms and other facilities makes everything more efficient, and allows for patients to ultimately spend less time in the hospital. There’s no more overhead paging, or the noise that goes along with it. These things don’t seem like a big deal at first, but when you stop and think about it, they make a huge difference. A host of new designs and technologies have added to the greater sense of peace and calm,” Dr. Kenneth Cohen, a medical director in the Department of Oncology, said.
In addition to plentiful windows allowing natural light to stream into rooms and hallways, the new hospital has a variety of artwork, including a sculpture of a school of yellow pufferfish dangling down through a stairwell, to floors designed entirely around children’s books.
The art is especially vibrant in the Bloomberg Children’s Center, where Dr. Kenneth Cohen, a medical director in the department of oncology, works.
“The artwork is spectacular,” Cohen said. “I honestly think one of the greatest pieces of art is the view, and the light. The previous building was pretty dark.”
Hopkins alumnus Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated the money for the artwork. More than 70 different artists helped to create over 300 pieces of art to keep kids interested, relaxed and on well their way to healing.
“There are tons of wonderful things for the kids—everywhere they could put art, they did put art,” Martin said.
Some doctors and staff members reflected on their experiences from the old hospital.
“I have to say, as we were slowly having the patients move out, people were getting a bit reminiscent for the old space and for the experiences. The new place is definitely exciting, but it’ll take time to create the memories that permeated the old hospital, and those were instrumental in helping us all in our work,” Cohen said.
