Benefits and innovations

Children's Memorial Hospital has always been known for superior specialty pediatric care and research innovation. The building of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago will continue that commitment to providing children with the very best care in an environment that will enable us to better serve children and families for generations to come.

After engaging more than 600 employees, nurses and physicians in the design and programming process and incorporating ideas from the Kids' Advisory Board and Family Advisory Board, we are excited to share the following benefits that will make the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago one of the nation's most innovative. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to check back frequently for updated information!

Unique facility features

• Private rooms
  All rooms will be private with space for at least one parent to sleep overnight.
• Comprehensive cardiac unit
  We will be one of the nation’s first children’s hospitals to offer children with heart problems a dedicated unit, minimizing stress on children and families by keeping kids in the same room, with the same caregivers, from admission to discharge.
• Emergency department on the second floor
  Having this busy area on the second floor provides additional security.
• Beds dedicated to clinical research
  We are dedicating 12 beds to clinical research, an essential factor in speeding translation of research from bench to bedside and giving patients access to the most advanced treatments.
• Sky lobby
  The Sky Lobby on the 11th and 12th floors will provide enhanced security for inpatient units and provide patients with healing daylight and beautiful views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.
• Green design
  Hospital plans feature sustainable "green" design with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Benefits of our new location

• Joining the Northwestern campus
  Being on the campus of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, our longstanding academic partner, will enhance our ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest pediatric specialists and scientists.
• Research collaboration
  Proximity to the Feinberg School’s researchers in adult medicine will provide our research scientists and physicians with invaluable opportunities to collaborate in the search for childhood precursors to adult diseases.
• Enhanced care for newborns
  Our adjacency to Prentice Women’s Hospital will allow us to care for critically ill newborns while keeping babies close to their mothers and families.
• Transitional care
  As our patients grow up, many of them need to be transitioned to an adult care team and facility. Our proximity to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago will ease this process for our patients.

Our planning process

• Engaging our staff
  More than 600 employees and physicians continue to be involved in the design and programming process.
• Listening to patients and families
  Our Kids' Advisory Board and Family Advisory Board provided critical advice on planning every step of the way. Their unique insight into the patient experience is invaluable to the planning process.
• Mock-up rooms
  We erected a full-scale mock-up room in the Siragusa Lobby of Children’s Memorial Hospital with a computer for families, visitors and employees to provide feedback on the design. Additional mock-up rooms will be created for clinical staff from specific units. This crucial testing process will include videotaped simulations of providing patient care in the new environment to ensure an optimal care experience.
• Getting input from Chicago's top cultural and civic institutions
  As part of the design process, we invited members of Chicago's top cultural and civic institutions to help us create an educational, inspiring and healing environment.
  View images and a complete list of participants >>