Beverly Knight Olson Childrens Hospital, Navicent Health Celebrates Topping Off
Final Steel Placed into Frame of New Children's Hospital
The region's pediatric patients and their families are one step closer to accessing the new, state-of-the-art Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital. On Monday, March 5, Atrium Health Navicent joined with community stakeholders to celebrate a Topping Off Ceremony in which the final steel beam was installed into the new building's frame.
In June 2016, amid a climate that has seen a number of hospital closures and limited hospital expansion, Atrium Health Navicent announced its intent to construct a new Children's Hospital facility, with plans to begin serving the region's patients in 2019. With more than 45,000 visits projected annually, the state-of-the-art institution will attract new talent to Macon and serve as an important anchor in the community while contributing to downtown Macon's transformation and economic development.
"We are delighted to take this next symbolic step in the construction of Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital. This step brings us closer to the promise of greater benefits to the children of central and south Georgia through the coordination of multiple pediatric services and specialities provided by caring professionals at the local level," said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, President and CEO of Atrium Health Navicent.
Since 1987, the nonprofit Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital has been committed to enhancing the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. The only dedicated pediatric facility in central Georgia, and one of the most comprehensive in the state, it provides care in general pediatrics, pediatric critical care, neonatal intensive care and outpatient services. The hospital also serves as the primary teaching site for the Department of Pediatrics at the Mercer University School of Medicine.
Due to a growing demand for additional service options, the hospital had outgrown its facility, constructed in 1962 and designed for adult healthcare. The new facility is currently under constuction in order to expand services in a hospital designed to meet the specific needs of children with illness or injury.
"Children are not small adults. Their health needs are different and are constantly changing," said Dr. Josh Glenn, the hospital's director of Pediatric Surgery. "With a proven track record of providing excellent care, we are faced with the need to replace the current facility. We are committed to comprehensive, excellent care delivered by highly trained, board-certified pediatric physicians and clinical staff. We look forward to providing care in a new, world-class facility."
The new Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital is made possible through philanthropic support.
"Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital has always relied on philanthropic support, and we are grateful to our donors for their commitment to Georgia's most fragile children. Each gift made to the Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital campaign will be an investment not only in the children of today, but for the generations to come. Whether it is a premature infant born at less than one pound or a teenager recovering from an automobile accident, donors make a significant difference in the lives of our precious children. My family and I have been pleased to support this wonderful organization for many years, and we invite our community to become a part of the growing legacy for children who have and will continue to depend on the specialized care provided by the Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital," said Olson.
The construction of Beverly Knihg Olson Children's Hospital is one of a number of initiatives Atrium Health Navicent plans to undertake within the next five years in order to dramatically improve access to high-quality, reasonably-priced care within the region. The new hospital, to be built on the current site at 888 Pine St. in downtown Macon, will be a larger facility with the latest equipment and technologies.
In the attached photos - A crowd looks on as the crane lowers and places the final piece of steel into the frame of the new Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent was incorporated on November 17, 1994, as a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to coordinate The Medical Center, Navicent Health and other affiliated entities in their mission of providing a comprehensive continuum of high quality, reasonably priced healthcare services to the region. Atrium Health Navicent has 970 beds for medical, surgical, rehabilitation and hospice purposes. The health system includes The Medical Center, Navicent Health, a nationally recognized tertiary teaching hospital; Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital, the region's only dedicated pediatric hospital; Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin and Medical Center of Peach County, Atrium Health Navicent, both rural critical access hospitals; Rehabilitation Hospital, Atrium Health Navicent, the region's oldest and most experienced rehabilitation provider; Pine Pointe, Atrium Health Navicent, which provides palliative and hospice care in homes and in its facility; Carlyle Place, Atrium Health Navicent, the area's first continuing care retirement community; Navicent Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Atrium Health Navicent; as well as diagnostic and home care services. For more information, please visit www.navicenthealth.org.