Plano North | June 2022

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EXPANSION PLAN

Hundreds of new jobs will be added as part of Children’s Medical Center Plano’s expansion.

began climbing rapidly. “[Residents] wanted their care to be here in [Plano],” Walls said. “So as we forecasted that [population growth], we realized that we had to have some pretty signicant expansion plans.” In 2021, Children’s Medical Cen- ter reported 168,000 patient visits and 51,000 emergency room visits in Plano. Walls said the number of patients coming to the hospital has grown consistently year over year since it rst opened, and that is likely to continue moving forward. Plano Mayor John Muns said the hospital’s importance to the city and the region cannot be understated. “When you think about all the growth here, the needs are just unbe- lievable,” Muns said. “For [Children’s Health] to make such a big jump to meet it and to have a pediatric hospi- tal at that level is such an asset.” Increasing service As part of the expansion, Walls said the Plano hospital will look to add a number of sta positions to meet the increased capacity once the new tower ocially opens. Walls said the hospital has about 900 employees, and it will likely see that number increase closer to 1,500 over the next few years. According to Children’s Health o- cials, a goal of the expansion is to get the Plano hospital certied as a Level II trauma center. The hospital was given its Level IV rating in 2018 and is oering Level III services. According to the American Trauma Society, a Level IV center primar- ily acts as a diagnosis and screening facility before transferring patients to a higher-level trauma center. A Level III rating means it can provide resus- citation, surgery, intensive care and

Existing hospital

New construction

Parking

Shown is a rendering of the completed tower that will more than double the size of the hospital’s campus

RENDERING COURTESY CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER PLANO

Horses can often be seen outside of Children's Medical Center Plano. The expansion will add more outdoor spaces for patients to enjoy across the campus.

With more patients and sta as part of the ongoing expansion, a parking garage with 650 spaces is being built and will open early in 2023.

The new hospital rooms were designed with patient input and will add 140 beds, 38 of which will be part of the new pediatric intensive care unit.

COURTESY CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER PLANO

RENDERING COURTESY CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER PLANO

COURTESY CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER PLANO

stabilization of injured patients, and a Level II trauma center can provide nearly all the care required for injured or sick patients. Dr. Brad Tate, the Plano hospi- tal’s chief medical ocer, said some patients are sent from the Plano cam- pus to the Children’s Dallas hospital

to receive treatment. He said the experience of being transferred to another hospital can be logistically and, at times, emotionally dicult for patients and families. “It’s not as simple as putting [the patient] in an ambulance and going,” Tate said. “If we can care for that

family here in the community we live in … that’s the best experience possible.” To prepare for the expansion, Tate said the hospital’s sta built a mock patient unit out of Styrofoam that closely resembles the layout of parts of the new building to run through

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