It's hard to believe that it's been one year (Jan. 9, 2010) since we safely moved 169 hospitalized infants and children - along with the high-tech equipment needed to provide their ICU level care - from its 42-year old landmark facility to a brand new All Children's Hospital. And it only took six hours.
It was a very frigid morning when seven week-old Annmaria Augustine became the first patient to arrive at the new hospital after traveling through neighboring Bayfront Medical Center and across elevated walkways that lead to the new All Children's Hospital.
All totaled, some 800 All Children's staff members participated in the move, including employees who volunteered their Saturday to accomplish the move. Ten All Children's physicians manned positions along the move route to address any concerns or emergencies. And more than fifty volunteers from local fire and police departments provided extra muscle to push beds and often heavy equipment needed to support these young patients as they made their way along the move route.
Since that morning last year, thousands of children have passed through our doors to receive first-class medical care in these new state-of-the-art facilities.
The ten-story replacement hospital was the central focus of All Children's $403-million construction project. Other elements included a seven-story Outpatient Care Center, a 700-space Visitor Parking Garage and a Central Energy Plant designed to keep the hospital fully functional (with air conditioning) for up to three weeks in the event of a disaster or power interruption. Altogether, this was one of the largest commercial construction projects in Florida.
