For Immediate Release August 15, 2008 Contact: Gayle Converse 404-756-6701 gconverse@msm.edu Atlanta State-of-the-Art Children's Medical Center Expands Morehouse School of Medicine Experts Care for Georgia's Youth Atlanta - Improved medical care for children who need it the most is the idea behind a new expansion under construction for Children's at Hughes Spalding Hospital in Atlanta. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), which assumed the management of Grady-owned Hughes Spalding in 2006, broke ground as more than 100 attendees; including Georgia Gov. Sonny Purdue, other elected officials, and corporate and medical school dignitaries witnessed the ceremony. During the August 13, 2008 groundbreaking for the new structure, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and Emory University School of Medicine pediatricians who care for children at the facility said they are excited about the benefits of the new expansion. "This is what we need, right here, for our children. It's a pleasure to see the cement poured and the dirt moved," said featured speaker Yasmin Tyler-Hill, M.D., president of the medical staff at Hughes Spalding and assistant clinical professor in the MSM Department of Pediatrics. "Everything has been planned by the physicians. It has been a labor of love. We hope to give children first-class health care." The new, four-story facility is projected to open in 2010. It is designed to replace the hospital's original building that was constructed in 1952 as an adult hospital. The hospital will be constructed on land currently used for a parking lot and will augment a 1983 annex, which also has undergone renovations. The structure will house a variety of new child and family-friendly amenities, including 24 child-friendly inpatient beds and an enhanced and expanded emergency department. Specialty clinics include sickle cell, asthma and child protection. CHOA officials said the expansion will represent a major milestone in efforts to reshape and revitalize the downtown facility. CHOA will continue to rely on community support for the nearly $10 million more required to renovate and operate the facility. ## |
