To improve the pediatric emergency experience and help families avoid driving long distances for care, CHI Health St. Elizabeth transformed an adult observation unit into Pediatric Place. The new eight-room specialty unit is inspired by a Johns Hopkins hybrid care model that combines child and adolescent emergency and inpatient treatment in one adaptable room – a model that is new to the Midwest.

Pediatric Place is designed to anticipate and respond to the needs of families, without interacting with the adjacent adult emergency population. An existing cath lab was converted into a designated pediatric family waiting room, and an “off-stage” corridor allows physicians to easily move between the two units. The overall aesthetic lends to a calming atmosphere, enhanced by sophisticated pediatric finishes and child-friendly positive distractions such as BWBR-designed custom environmental graphics that depict a unique animal mural in each patient room.