Hope Starts Here Case Statement

HOPE STARTS HERE A campaign for children

841 Prudential Drive | Suite 1300 | Jacksonville, FL | 32207 | hopestartshere.com

Harbor’s Story

OUR CHILDREN.

“Harbor and her twin brother, Lawton, were born six weeks premature at a hospital in Jacksonville. Twentyfour hours after she was born, Harbor began having complications.

We stood by her side as doctors and nurses worked to save her while fluid was building up around her tiny heart and lungs.

It is so rare that we get an opportunity to make a lasting impact in the world. When these extraordinary opportunities occur, the response we choose can create far-reaching effects that ripple outward through not only our own lives, but also the lives of others – on into the future.

Imagine the relief we felt when the Wolfson Children’s Critical Care transport team arrived with the equipment and knowledge needed to save her delicate life.

A BIG, BOLD DREAM.

OUR FUTURE.

Wolfson Children’s Hospital has one dream: HOPE. The hope that every child who comes through our doors leaves with a chance to thrive and flourish. The hope that the excellent care and support we provide to the child is equaled only by the care and support we provide to the entire family.

But dreams this bold aren’t achieved by organizations.

They are fulfilled through a legacy of partners, from a community that always knows how to come together.

The need for expanded services and updated facilities at Wolfson Children’s isn’t just a wish. It’s an opportunity facing us today. Families throughout North Florida and South Georgia depend on us for the hope that their children can go home healthy.

HELP US MAKE SURE THAT HOPE WILL ALWAYS START HERE.

“I’m excited because this expansion is going to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s going to be transformative in our community.”

— Katherine Forrester, President, The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, supporter of The Women’s Board NICU Endowment

These heroes transported Harbor to the NICU at Wolfson Children’s because she had pulmonary hypertension, a potentially fatal problem.

Our fears of possible long-term damage from her complications dissolved with the incredible care she received at Wolfson Children’s.”

“Without this wonderful hospital, we are sure our daughter would not be alive today.”

– Neill and Patrick Lasher, Harbor’s parents

OUR JOB IS TOO

BIG FOR OUR BUILDING.

“Many women experience acute problems during delivery, and their babies end up in the NICU. It’s completely unexpected, and they’re completely unprepared.”

— Mark Hudak, M.D., Associate Medical Director NICU, Wolfson Children’s Hospital; Chief Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville

The current Wolfson Children’s Hospital was built in 1993, and both critical care units (NICU and PICU) have had renovations.

Since then, the demand for our NICU has dramatically increased and the unit is at or above 100% capacity daily. Moreover, advances in our care and technology mean that we are caring for babies born earlier and smaller than ever before. As thrilling as it is to be able to offer these tiny infants hope and healing, their needs are exponentially more. More time in the NICU. More medical equipment. More

90

%

Amount of time in 2019 that our current NICU was at or over capacity of 56 babies

monitoring. More time in the PICU as they grow. And much more supportive care.

Our teams of neonatal and pediatric intensive care doctors, nurses, and therapists are among the best in the nation, and they deserve a hospital that lives up to their level of expertise – a physical environment of care with the space and technological advances that will support the best possible experience for them, as well as our vulnerable little patients and their families.

20

Number of beds in the current PICU, which is almost always at capacity

127

Total new NICU and PICU beds in our Children’s Critical Care Tower

DESIGNING THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF TOMORROW. With the new and larger NICU and PICU facilities housed within the Children’s Critical Care Tower, parents will be able to continue bonding with their child 24 hours a day.

This dramatic change provides private, fully outfitted patient-family suites, with space for parents adjoining their child’s treatment area that includes a pullout bed for two, a private bathroom with a shower to cater to a new mother’s needs, and a parents’ television with wireless headphones for reducing noise and stress.

Advanced circadian rhythm lighting in each room will help babies develop a normal sleep pattern – critically important to healing and recovery, and the building block of a lifetime of healthy sleep.

“The Wolfson Children’s team is amazing. The staff is not just here for my daughter, but for my husband and me as well. They realize that our strength is vital for her.”

— Katrise and Marvin Irving, parents of a Pediatric Intensive Care patient

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, TO GIVE PARENTS PEACE OF MIND. In the new Children’s Critical Care Tower, our NICU facilities will be among the first in the country to feature a dedicated Neonatal MRI system, specifically designed for imaging the developing brains of our tiniest patients. The system includes a temperaturecontrolled incubator directly in the system that minimizes movement and harmful disturbances in sound.

Rendering of one of the new patient-family NICU suites

“When a baby is discharged from the NICU, parents often have anxiety taking her home because they don’t feel capable of caring for her. But with the new patient-family suites, parents will feel empowered because they’ve been involved in her care throughout her NICU stay.”

— Colby Day Richardson, M.D., Neonatologist

“Don’t think of this as just a building; think of it as a place of cure, a place of life, a place where we can keep a family whole.”

— Michael D. Aubin, FACHE, Hospital President

Rendering of the new Children’s Critical Care Tower

A BEACON OF HOPE IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE. The updated NICU and PICU facilities will provide additional bed space as well as the latest technology available, meaning that the impact of the new Children’s Critical Care Tower will be felt throughout the Wolfson Children’s Hospital family for decades.

Children come to Wolfson Children’s because of our clinical capabilities and our reputation for excellence. We are determined to always be here to serve our patients and their families. For us to continue to provide the world-class care that Wolfson Children’s offers to all the children who need us, it’s crucial that we expand our facilities.

But more importantly, the development will help preserve the future health and well-being of our region’s children, while offering a visible reminder that hope is never far away.

The new Children’s Critical Care Tower will be downtown, right off I-95. Its iconic design elements – including a customizable exterior video display that projects onto the outer wall – mean that it will quite literally serve as the new face of Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

“With our expansion, we’ll have the resources we need to provide for the most critically ill patients in our area, even those children who we would have previously sent to hospitals in other states.”

— Michael Gayle, M.D., Pediatric Critical Care Specialist

ENSURING OUR CHILDREN CAN THRIVE. Hope Starts Here supports the vitally important specialties and programs that make Wolfson Children’s a renowned destination for world-class children’s care.

In addition to the new Children’s Critical Care Tower, we have a number of strategic funding priorities and programs we are looking to build upon over the next five years.

Bower Lyman Center for Medically Complex Children streamlines

High-Risk Obstetrics and Perinatology, including the Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy Center, offers the highest

and improves the care of children with severe disabilities and chronic

level of care for expectant mothers and their babies when diagnosed with serious medical conditions before,

diseases, bringing together physicians, therapists, pharmacists, and

during, and after delivery.

other care providers in one setting to comprehensively address the needs these children and families face.

Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health features outpatient and community programs aimed at treating children who face mental health conditions and reducing the stigma of mental health treatment. We offer the

Traumatic Burn Care Program is in development to provide

community’s only full-service program (inpatient and outpatient) devoted entirely to children and adolescents.

specialized evaluation and treatment for children with severe burns and support the advancement of burn-care science through education

Childhood Cancer Institute, a partnership with Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville; the University

and research activities.

of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville; and the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, is among the top 50 programs in the country, offering the full range of treatment and services for children and families facing

Cardiovascular Surgery Program at Wolfson Children’s, in partnership with

a pediatric cancer diagnosis.

the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Heart Institute Network, provides our region with access to the highest level of expertise, resulting in some of the best pediatric heart surgery

THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health focuses on the health and quality of life for children and families in

outcomes in the nation.

the North Florida and South Georgia regions through a commitment to its five pillars: Community Education, Unintentional Injury Prevention, Health and Wellness, Healthcare Access, and Child Health Advocacy.

Diabetes and Endocrinology Institute, staffed by a nationally recognized team of experts, offers a full range of services for infants, children, and adolescents with diabetes, growth disorders, abnormal thyroid function,

Stys Neuroscience Institute is devoted to providing early diagnosis, intervention, and treatment of a wide variety

disorders of puberty, and other endocrine problems.

of pediatric neurological conditions, including brain and spine tumors, epilepsy and seizures, craniosynostosis, cerebral palsy and spasticity, and stroke and blood vessel conditions, among others.

Duran Genetics Center is committed to developing new standards for the treatment of genetic diseases, along with prevention strategies to promote a healthier future for children across our region.

Transplant Center, including the advancement of our stem cell transplant and new solid-organ transplant programs, treats children facing cancer and blood disorders, with the vision of eventually offering lifesaving kidney, heart, and

Endowed Fellowships and Professorships allow us to train and prepare the pediatric experts of the future,

lung transplants to our region’s children.

as well as recruit and retain the world’s highest-quality physicians, right here in Jacksonville.

Family Support Programs provide wrap-around care and therapy to nurture the emotional well-being of patients and families, including social services, child life, spiritual care, and music and art therapies.

Pediatric Trauma Center, our state-designated trauma program, features the most experienced emergency teams in the region and treats severe and life-threatening injuries in babies, children, and adolescents. The network includes six children’s emergency centers throughout North Florida and South Georgia, along with our fleet made up of mobile ICUs, helicopters, and a fixed-wing airplane.

“We care for the sickest of the sick children throughout the Southeast and beyond.

It’s an absolute must that we meet the increasing need for this level of specialized care.”

— CC Brooks, MSN, RN-C, C-EFM, NE-BC, FABC, Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive

50% of our patients reside outside of Duval County, traveling from as far away as China.

WHATEVER IT TAKES… You and the children you love may never need Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville. But if the moment comes when you do, you’ll do whatever it takes to help your child get better.

Families in North Florida and South Georgia trust us to do everything possible to safeguard the well-being of our communities’ most valuable resource – our children.

The Children’s Critical Care Tower and Strategic Priorities of this Campaign for Children will benefit countless families for years to come. But the incredible effort required to bring about this expansion means we depend upon the generosity of supporters just like you.

You can make our bold dream a reality. Your support provides a legacy to make certain that families in our region have a place to turn when it looks like all hope is lost.

For every family with a son or daughter fighting to get better, you can ensure that hope starts right here at Wolfson Children’s.

TO SUPPORT OUR DREAM, CONTACT US AT 904.202.6296.