Source, The Reporter, Gary Puleo

When the Children’s Hospital Specialty Care and Ambulatory Surgery Center opened on Goddard Boulevard in King of Prussia three years ago, it was with an eye toward inevitable future expansion.

That expansion, in the form of an inpatient facility, will occur in 2021, it was announced recently.

“CHOP was founded in 1855 as the first hospital in the U.S. dedicated to caring for children,” said Madeline Bell, president of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Since that time, we have grown our inpatient and outpatient services at several locations within the City of Philadelphia and extended our regional reach with the creation of the CHOP Care Network, including more than 50 pediatrician offices, specialty care and surgical centers and community hospital alliances in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.”

“Today’s announcement marks a recognition of the ever-growing demand for world-class pediatric care closer to home,” Bell added. “CHOP’s new inpatient hospital will serve families living everywhere from the Philadelphia suburbs, to south and central New Jersey, as well as Delaware, to Lancaster, Berks and Lehigh Counties and beyond, providing convenient access to the highest quality hospital services available for children.”

A press release noted that King of Prussia is highly accessible to a number of communities throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where a growing population is in need of many pediatric services, including inpatient hospital care.

“Today’s announcement marks a recognition of the ever-growing demand for world-class pediatric care closer to home,” Bell said. “CHOP’s new inpatient hospital will serve families living everywhere from the Philadelphia suburbs, to south and central New Jersey, as well as Delaware, to Lancaster, Berks and Lehigh Counties and beyond, providing convenient access to the highest quality hospital services available for children.”

The King of Prussia campus will be anchored by the new inpatient hospital, featuring 52 inpatient beds, consisting of a 16-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) – allowing for safe escalation of care without transfer to CHOP’s main campus in University City – and 36-bed medical surgical unit; care for a broad range of pediatric specialties, including orthopaedics, plastic surgery and ear, nose and throat (ENT); a 24/7, 20-bay emergency department specializing in pediatric care; an operating room suite consisting of up to four operating rooms, specializing in elective services requiring overnight stays; comprehensive radiology services and transitional care for chronic complex patients with assisted breathing.

The new hospital will be adjacent to and operate “seamlessly” with CHOP’s existing King of Prussia Specialty Care & Surgery Center and Urgent Care Center, the release noted, explaining that CHOP currently serves more than 1.3 million children each year on its main campus in the University City area of Philadelphia and as part of the CHOP Care Network. The inpatient hospital on the King of Prussia campus is expected to be operational in 2021.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 546-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents.

For more information, visit www.chop.edu.