ground breaking
by chris becicka

Destiny Expansion

This rendering of the planned expansion
of Children’s Mercy Hospital on Hospital Hill
shows the medical center has come
a long way since its 1897 genesis.

Children’s Mercy Hospital (officially Hospitals and Clinics) has been such a fixture in Kansas City that we seldom look at it retrospectively—or introspectively. It began in 1897 with just one bed and two lady doctors who were determined to help the poor. A major expansion soon began though—they rented another bed. By 1900, children around the city were raising money for the "Mercy Bed." Today, expansion has taken on an entirely new dimension, but the unwavering philosophy of helping all children who need help remains the same.
That vision has been responsible for the hospital’s steady growth. This year, however, that growth is about to take a giant leap, and to jump this high carries a big price tag—$88.5 million. "We are facing an exciting challenge in raising the money for this expansion, but the efforts will be well worth it. We continue to see dramatic growth every year, and it’s inherent in our mission that we have the facilities available to serve all of the children who need us," says Randall L. O’Donnell, president and CEO.
The five-year expansion program includes several facets. CMH will expand the Center for Congenital Heart Disease by remodeling the fourth floor of the West Tower to include four new operating rooms and related support facilities. It will add two additional floors to the Henson Tower to house a new 27-bed inpatient unit. The heliport will be relocated. A new four-story clinic and research building will be built and a new 45,000-square-foot building at Children’s Mercy South/Urgent Care Center will soon connect to the existing building, raising capacity from 17 to 50 patients.
All this expansion is urgently needed, says O’Donnell. "Both our inpatient and outpatient volumes have increased by more than 70 percent over the past six years, and many of our programs are full to capacity and beyond. In our 105-year history, we have never turned a child away due to the family’s inability to pay, so we certainly don’t want to be forced to turn children away simply because we don’t have enough room."
In the last six years, admissions have nearly doubled, as have outpatient visits. The growth at Children’s Mercy South has been even more phenomenal. Since it opened in 1996, surgeries have increased five fold to more than 2,500, with a 23-percent increase just last year. "We are very excited about the upcoming groundbreaking at Children’s Mercy South, which will allow us to triple the space out there. The pediatricians throughout the southern half of the metro area, who are our strong partners in providing care, have told us this expansion is urgently needed for their patients. They are working with us to plan the services and programs needed there," O’Donnell notes. The new building will include new inpatient beds, specialty clinics, expanded urgent-care services and additional parking. The groundbreaking for the $31 million building and improvements will occur in July.
The total money needed seems staggering. But Children’s Mercy has a record of success—it built a new outpatient center in 1995; an inpatient tower and Mercy South in 1997; and it raised $67 million for another inpatient tower in 1999. The hospital met its goal of another $53 million in its 2001 campaign for research, endowment and operations. Of the $88.5 million, $34.7 million has already been pledged. O’Donnell gratefully points out, "The Kansas City community has always been extraordinarily generous in responding to our needs in continuing to fulfill our mission."
Back in the 1900s when the hospital was on Independence Avenue, the administrators used a chalk board in front of the hospital to tell folks riding past on the trolley what they needed—eggs or blankets or meat. By the end of the day, they usually had whatever was needed. They’re counting on Kansas City again, even if they no longer use the chalk board.