Goal is more individual private rooms

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley has begun Phase 2 of a $1.9 million construction and renovation project at the Special Care Nursery (SCN) and Pediatric Inpatient Unit on its Beeghly campus.

Both units are located within Building D on the Beeghly campus.

The SCN, which is on the third floor and will move to the second floor in the building, will have 15 individual, private patient rooms, including three twin rooms and one isolation room, and a family overnight room.

The inpatient unit will occupy 17 rooms on the third floor, along with six additional rooms being built in the former SCN space. Two of these rooms will accommodate siblings, allowing families to stay together when brothers/sisters are hospitalized, hospital officials said.

Philanthropic support for this project has been provided through a $1 million gift from Eleanor Watanakunakorn. The new SCN will be named in honor of her granddaughter, Alexis Caroline Watanakunakorn.

“Our goal is to provide the best possible patient care, and single-family rooms help us achieve that objective,” said Lisa Taafe, clinical administrative director for Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.

Research has shown that the infection rate decreases in a single-patient-room environment, and that they allow families to participate more in the care of their children, she said.

“We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Watanakunakorn for this generous gift,” said JoAnn Stock, director of development for Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley. “Philanthropic support like this is vital to furthering our mission and ensuring high-quality health care is available for families in the Mahoning Valley,” she said.

The gift was made as part of the Building on the Promise: A Vision for our Valley’s Children campaign, which is a multiyear fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $18 million to facilitate ongoing strategic growth and expansion in the Mahoning Valley.