Dayton Children’s Hospital unveiled a new specialty care center on Wednesday, March 1. The five-story building will house more than 30 specialities for pediatric care, including neurology and diabetes.
The $78 million project is over 150,000 square feet, and has new advanced technology features like a water therapy tank and a bio-simulation lab.
Ann Smith, the director of the Orthopedic Rehab Clinic, said these features, like the water therapy pool, will speed up treatment times.
“We really had to wait for the tissue to heal and sometimes we would try and support them in what we call harnesses to walk,” Smith said. “But the water is a much safer medium to be in. We can get in the pool with the patients as well and it helps initiate walking much earlier.”
The center was built with families' wishlists in mind, with sensory features in treatment rooms, distraction devices and colorful themed artwork.
Grace Class, a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council at Dayton Children’s, said this will help children and their families balance the stress that often accompanies a visit.
“My child has a cerebral visual impairment and the sensory lights, the marbles on the wall, all those different things just make those long appointment days for her a little less overwhelming,” Class said.
The new center will start seeing patients on March 6.
