Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has launched a multi-year initiative to expand and modernize its St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses. Knutson is the general contractor for the Minneapolis campus, which broke ground last October. Children's plan includes creating all private rooms at both the Minneapolis and St. Paul hospitals with sleep-in space for parents, modernizing the operating rooms, and expanding emergency departments. Additionally, in St. Paul, terraces or rooftop gardens will be added, while in Minneapolis the neonatal intensive care unit will be expanded and a Ronald McDonald House® will be housed inside the hospital.

"These plans are all about enhancing our ability to apply new technology, practices and standards of care in an environment devoted exclusively to the next generation - our region's children," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, CEO and president of Children's. For example, Goldbloom explained that private rooms are emerging as the standard of care in pediatric medicine as they enable improved infection control, more efficient use of bedside space for equipment and medicines, fewer disruptive patient moves and enhanced privacy for patients and families.

The current project is one of the largest campus upgrades Children's has made since it opened in 1924. While existing hospital facilities in both St. Paul and Minneapolis are now about 30 years old, recent renovations and additions include the neonatal intensive care unit built in 2003 at Children's - St. Paul, and an ambulatory care center added in Minneapolis in 2004. The project will take place in phases, so as not to disrupt services to patients and their families.

Modernization will include expansion across Chicago Avenue at the Children's - Minneapolis campus. The plans have been shared with neighborhood and community groups, and have incorporated the community's desire for more street-level retail space, better neighborhood traffic flow, and enhanced landscaping.