Hospital President and CEO Bill Considine gets ready to shovel the ceremonial dirt with several kids.
Akron Children’s Hospital celebrated the expansion of its Akron campus with a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. on May 30 in Perkins Square Park. The backdrop of the event was the construction site.
The event started with brief remarks from Akron Children’s president and CEO Bill Considine, other hospital leaders, elected officials and a parent.
“We’re here today to celebrate the future of Akron Children’s Hospital and the future of healthcare for the children and families we care for throughout northern Ohio,” said Grace Wakulchik, Akron Children’s vice president of operations and chief operating officer.
A dirt turning ceremony followed the concluding remarks. Considine and some children were the first to get their “hands dirty,” while shoveling the ceremonial dirt.
Members of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and of the operations team also participated.
The new building is the centerpiece of the $200 million campus transformation project, Building on the Promise. It will feature:
- A new neonatal intensive care unit with private rooms for our tiniest patients and their families
- A new emergency department
- A new outpatient surgery center
- An enclosed concourse that takes patient families and staff from the new parking garage and beyond to the existing hospital
“This $200 million investment will transform the way we deliver care to the families we are privileged to serve, allowing us to build upon the promises made to the people of this community more than 100 years ago,” said Considine. “Promises that to this day, serve as guiding principles in everything we do.”
To watch the progress since the construction began this spring, view the live Web cam and view the photo gallery below to see the ceremony.
