American Family Children's Hospital

Project summary:

Building on more than 75 years of experience caring for sick children, University of Wisconsin Children's Hospital recently embarked on a new era of first-class care for kids by constructing a new state-of-the-art facility. The newly completed American Family Children's Hospital is the latest addition to a well-established complex that will build on the extraordinary strengths in award-winning care and research of UW-Madison and UW Hospitals & Clinics.

Not only will the new hospital cater to the unique needs of young patients and their families, the complex will bring the promise of stem cell research, gene therapy, image-guided therapies and state-of-the-art care to a child's bedside in an expedited way that is not yet practiced today.

In addition to providing cutting-edge medical treatment and research, other goals of the American Family Children's Hospital involved creating a cheerful, family-friendly atmosphere with increased accommodations including larger inpatient rooms, a pediatric ICU, childhood cancer unit, and more.

Designed by HDR Architecture, the facility is a bright and visually appealing environment, with activity and play space for patients and their siblings, and ample places for families to rest, cook a favorite meal, or reflect quietly.

The new American Family Children's Hospital (AFCH) is a living testament to a community that nurtured and brought life a vision of a world-class healthcare facility for the smallest of patients. The whimsical and welcoming atmosphere of AFCH is part of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics' (UWHC) 87-year tradition of providing quality healthcare to children and families. This $78 million hospital, adjacent to the existing UWHC complex, provides fully integrated clinical, academic and research activities within a single institution. Because cities that provide superior healthcare are more desirable places in which to live, the new AFCH is a valuable asset to Madison's quality of life, strengthening the city's reputation as the science, technology and healthcare center of the Midwest. At six stories tall, and with 252,000 square feet of space the new AFCH is a tremendous improvement over the hospital's former location on various floors and within a smattering of other units in the vast adult UWCH structure. This larger, brighter and thoughtfully designed facility also assists in attracting the best and brightest physicians and caregivers to Madison. These dedicated professionals work long hours and appreciate a space that enhances their worked performance and quality of care. AFCH draws patients from 1.6 million residents in the surrounding region and states. These patients come to AFCH seeking the complex medical care for which the hospital has earned world-wide recognition, including a pediatric organ transplant program, a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, a highly successful cochlear implant program, and other prominent programs in cystic fibrosis, pediatric cancers and genetics. Care is delivered in a pediatric-specific environment, designed with many innovative features, resulting from constant collaboration on the part of all stakeholders, including hospital administration and staff, patients and families. The building design process also benefited from a close collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, the local municipality of Shorewood Hills, the City of Madison, the Madison Fire Department and various other social agencies and committees.

The new AFCH was funded by $37 million in public bonds and $41 million in private donations, including a $10 million flagship gift from the American Family Insurance company. AFCH administrators are especially honored by the overwhelming support that the Madison community demonstrated for its "No Finer Gift" fundraising project, where monies were raised by alumni gifts, corporate sponsorships, private donations and even kids' lemonade stands. It is an especially fitting tribute to these supporters that AFCH's interiors are themed around the concept of "All Things Wisconsin" in recognition of its citizens who turned a dream into a spectacular reality.

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