The Children’s Cancer Hospital is open for business
Related story: Patients of all ages
It’s great to hear the sound of children’s voices again at MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital.
For several years, families and patients worked alongside architects and hospital staff designing the floor, which now brings treatment services together in one central location.
During construction, children were cared for on another floor. Now that it’s wrapped up, the renovated and expanded hospital reopened its doors on May 1 to children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and their families.
The new 25,664-square-foot home includes two inpatient pods, the relocated Pediatric Ambulatory Treatment Center, Patient Intensive Care Services and a designated pharmacy for these young patients.
It also welcomes the Ronald McDonald House Houston as a more highly involved partner. A Ronald McDonald Family Kitchen, two Family Bedrooms, a Family Lounge and a Family Waiting Area are all located in the newly designed space.
Having services available in one place allows outpatients and inpatients to interact with one another in a secure environment and participate more easily in the school program and Child Life activities.
Although pediatric cancer is rare, the cancers that develop in this younger age group are often very different from those seen in adults. Dissimilarities in tumor pathology appearance, signs and symptoms of the disease and response to treatment are common.
The children’s hospital is now even more equipped to provide exceptional pediatric and adolescent cancer care.
