Move Day

1-11-2011 Move in day in Grand Rapids.  Our Children's Hospital opened it's new state of the art facility today! I couldn't be more excited and humbled at the same time. 

 

While I never want  any of my kids to be sick or have to have surgery, having a child with Type 1 Diabetes means trips to the Emergency Room and hospital stays are inevitable.  Having a state of the art facility right where I live is priceless.  

Info from the Helen Devos Website about the new hospital: *if you watch the video (which you should, it shows some of the awesome feature of the new hospital) be sure to turn the music player off first!

"Since 1993, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital has grown to become a community resource, a regional referral center and a national leader. The new 206-bed children's hospital features dedicated pediatric emergency and trauma services, operating rooms and diagnostic imaging, and comprehensive care for ill and injured children. Every hospitalized child has a large, private room to accommodate parents staying overnight. Even the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) includes 40 private rooms in addition to semi-private rooms.

Our team of more than 150 pediatric physicians in 40 pediatric specialties works with nurses, therapists and allied health specialists who have devoted their careers to caring for children.

As a teaching hospital, training the next generation of pediatric experts will be done in collaboration with the Michigan State College of Human Medicine."

There are some really neat features to the new hospital. Of course the building itself is gorgeous but inside is where the magic is.   

• a playroom on every floor
• a gorgeous outdoor garden for the kids
• spacious family rooms with refrigerators, double beds, bathtubs, and on-demand movies 
• all the artwork in the building was created by children for children.
• an Emergency Department solely dedicated to pediatrics. 
• A bubble wall featuring a soothing look at enclosed, moving water that creates bubbles
• Interactive play area.  Description taken from the Hospital website: Children see their image abstractly projected on an interactive screen which functions like a video game console but without controllers. For example, children can watch falling snow and make a "virtual snowball" by bending down to "scoop up a handful of snow" and "throw" it against the screen to watch it splatter. Another interactive feature: liquid underneath the floor that changes color when stepped upon. 
• Restaurant that features a Pizza Station, Salad Station and an Ice Cream Window.  
• Coffee Kiosk with hot and iced coffee beverages. 

Helen DeVos Children's Hospital will always hold a special place in my heart.  Helen DeVos was where we took Lovebug when she was diagnosed with Type 1.  The staff there is incredible and we had a wonderful experience, despite everything. The care they took to make sure Lovebug was comfortable and helping to keep her entertained was simply amazing. I could not have asked for a better hospital for us to end up at. 

I just can not say enough good things about this hospital and I am so proud to have it in my community.