Children's Hospital Colorado Breaks Ground on South Campus in Highlands Ranch

Urgent, outpatient specialty, inpatient and surgery care, along with imaging and diagnostic services

A rendering of the future Children's Hospital Colorado South Campus, located at the corner of Plaza Drive and Lucent Blvd., south of C-470.

Children's Hospital Colorado today celebrated the groundbreaking of our future South Campus in Highlands Ranch, Colo. Slated to open at the end of 2013, the South Campus will offer a wide range of expert pediatric care including urgent, outpatient specialty, inpatient and surgery care along with state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostic services.

Children's Colorado expects to host nearly 80,000 patient visits at the South Campus during its first year. The approximately 175,000-square-foot facility will be located on 22 acres of land at the corner of Plaza Drive and Lucent Blvd., south of C-470.

"The southern communities along the Front Range have continued to grow at a rapid rate, particularly attracting families with children," said Jim Shmerling, president and CEO of Children's Colorado. "With this growth has come an increased demand for convenient access to expert pediatric care. With our new South Campus, as well as our soon-to-open specialty care clinic in Colorado Springs, Children's Colorado will be better positioned to meet the needs of families in these communities."

Read media coverage from the Highlands Ranch Herald.

Services provided at the new South Campus in Highlands Ranch

The overall scope of services at the new South Campus will include:

• Inpatient Care for acute care services
• Outpatient clinics - Cardiology, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Digestive Health Institute, Endocrinology, ENT, Genetics, Gynecology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Pediatric Surgery, Pulmonary, Rehabilitation and Urology
• 24/7 Urgent Care - 22 exam rooms for lower acuity patients
• Sports Medicine Center with gym and physical therapy
• Surgery Center - 4 operating rooms
• Infusion Center
• Laboratory Services - lab draws and specimen processing to support patients from Urgent Care, Inpatient, Infusion, Clinics and Operating Rooms, as well as walk-in patients
• Imaging Services - General Radiology, MRI, Ultrasound, Fluoroscopy and CT
• Diagnostic Services - Audiology, ECHO, PFT, EKG and EEG

In addition, the facility will feature a family hospitality area, play areas for patients and siblings, a cafeteria/coffee shop and conference rooms. Children's Colorado is partnering with Ronald McDonald House Charities, Starlight Foundation and Denver Botanic Gardens on landscape design and a healing garden.

Combining other south-metro locations into one

Several existing south-metro Children's Colorado locations will consolidate to the South Campus, including:

• Children's Hospital Colorado Outpatient Specialty Care, Centennial at 7960 South University Boulevard
• Children's Hospital Colorado Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Littleton at 7720 South Broadway
• Children's Colorado Orthopedic Care, Centennial at 9094 E. Mineral Avenue (Radiology services will remain at this location)
• Children's Hospital Colorado Outpatient Specialty and Therapy Care, Littleton at 151 W. County Line Road (Audiology, speech and language services, physical therapy and occupational therapy will remain at this location.)

The 125 employees who currently work at the existing south-metro locations will be relocated to the South Campus. Children's Colorado anticipates hiring an additional 175 people. The cost of the South Campus is approximately $100 million.

See media coverage from the Highlands Ranch Herald, Denver Post and CBS4.