Expansion at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s will focus on “the littlest people with the biggest problems”

Denver (August 11, 2010)—The Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC), HealthONE’s “pediatric hospital within a hospital,” will mark the grand opening of a campus expansion at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center on Aug. 19-22 and will begin treating patients on Aug. 31.

Construction on the 160,000-square-foot facility at 1719 E. 19th Ave. in Denver began in May 2008. When completed in August, the $128 million campus expansion will include 53 inpatient beds, a 10-bed pediatric intensive care unit, two endoscopy suites, a dedicated pediatric emergency department, six pediatric specialty operating rooms, the new Rocky Mountain Café and the Ronald McDonald House Family Resource Room. 

“There is a community need for increased access to pediatric healthcare services, and we are excited to bring this new project on line to augment our other five locations. Although state-of-the-art, this new facility will offer a nurturing environment for all our young patients, from high-risk newborns to children and teenagers,” said Mimi Roberson, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.

What began with a team of 10 pediatric and neonatology physicians in 1977, RMHC now provides trusted care in six states with more than 300 affiliated physicians providing 40 specialties in a collaborative, multidisciplinary care setting from six HealthONE facilities in metro Denver and specialty pediatric outreach centers in Douglas County, Colo., Broomfield, Colo., and Casper, Wyo. RMHC doctors, who are all board-certified or board-eligible, have pioneered treatments and are leaders in a number of specialty areas, including pediatric sports medicine, minimally invasive surgery, high-risk pregnancies and neonatal intensive care.

Grand opening festivities for the new facility will take place Aug. 19-22 and involve local civic leaders, the Denver Chamber of Commerce and members of the Denver community. Planned events include the First Annual Kaleidoscope Gala: Through the Eyes of a Child, to benefit The Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation Aug. 21, and a community day that will include live music by Funkiphino and Academy of Rock, a doll and teddy bear “hospital,” visiting animals from the Denver Zoo and games and giveaways from Noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 22.