New Children's Hospital at Columbia Regional Hospital

All Children's Hospital branches will relocate to Columbia Regional.

By Katy Bergen

Published Oct. 14, 2008

Health officials announced Friday their intent to consolidate all branches of the Children's Hospital to the Columbia Regional Hospital location.

"You might say that we are announcing we're expecting," Hal Williamson, interim vice chancellor for health sciences, said to a crowded conference room of MU administrators and health officials.

The Children's Hospital currently has units in University Hospital, the University Physicians Medical Building, the University Physicians Green Meadows clinic and Columbia Regional Hospital. The Children's Hospital serves every county in Missouri.

"It's a great day for children and a great day for those who work in children's services," said Ted Groshong, MU Department of Child Health Care chairman.

Groshong will retire next year and will be replaced by Timothy Fete, formerly of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Groshong described the University's plan to provide single rooms for all patients as well as a separate entrance to the children's unit, in the hopes of providing a "kid-friendly environment."

Although the new Children's Hospital is expected to be built in about nine months, details concerning about the construction are not official. Friday's announcement will allow health officials to move forward with their plan, MU Health Care Spokesman Matt Splett said. Although the hospital system budgeted $12 million for the renovation project, officials also expect to receive funds from fund-raising events such as the Children's Miracle Network Radiothon, which was held at University Hospital in September.

Michelle Kemp, whose daughter Jayla spends a lot of time in Children's Hospital due to cystic fibrosis, stressed to the audience how important commodities such as single rooms can be. Kemp described what it was like to squeeze two suffering children as well as two sets of worried parents into the standard two-patient hospital room.

"So many children received care at the facility that sometimes it seemed like it was going to burst at the seams," said Kemp, who spends most of her hospital time at University Hospital, but often has to transport Jayla between hospitals to make appointments and receive treatment.

Kemp said she is relieved that all of Jayla's necessities will be met at one location and believes the centralized services will allow the focus to be on the children.