The new building, which will double the size of the existing hospital, also includes a two-floor fortified emergency hospital against conventional, biological and chemical warfare and includes the neonatal department with private rooms and a therapeutic garden. The building will be inhabited in May.
Schneider Children’s, a member of the Clalit Group and the leading pediatric care hospital in Israel, inaugurated the new glass building last week – an additional inpatients facility located adjacent to the stone building that has existed for the past three decades. The ribbon-cutting took place at a gala event in the presence of the donors whose names appear on the building, Mindy Schneider Lesser and Dr. Michael Lesser, who came from the United States with their friends especially to attend the opening, together with the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Chair of the Clalit Directorate, Mr. Yochanan Locker, Clalit CEO Mr. Eli Cohen, heads of hospitals in Israel, members from the business sector, and more. The President of the State of Israel, Mr. Yitzhak (Boogie) Herzog, sent a moving video recording. MCs were Ronny Dalomy and Yael Bar Zohar, who shared chairing the event in the stone and glass buildings. Entertainment was provided by Shiri Maimon, the Shalva and Moran choirs. “Heartbeat” exhibition photographs taken by Ziv Koren, who documented Schneider children three times over the past decade, were also displayed.
The 7-floor building, which was constructed according to the highest architectural standards, is located to the south of the existing facility on an area of some 40,000 sq m, doubling the physical size of the hospital. The new building comprises a 2-floor emergency hospital, fortified to withstand conventional, biological and chemical warfare and includes a protected and modernized neonatal department – the first of its kind in Israel – with 52 beds, 28 of which are in private rooms for the family and newborn, and the protected Dialysis Institute. The building will be inhabited in May 2023.
Towards the future, the glass building at Schneider Children’s will be able to absorb many more children in Israel and from abroad. The area of each department has been enlarged by 150%. Inpatient departments that will be transferred to the new facility will comprise both individual rooms for the child and parents, as well as rooms with two beds. This capability, over and above the high standards and expansive areas, will promote the prevention of infections. After the departments move across, remaining units in the stone building will be gradually expanded and upgraded such as Hemato-Oncology, Cardiology, the Intensive Care Units, the Surgical Suite and many other ambulatory services.
The glass building will include the sole Research and Innovation Center for children in the country and among the few in the world; the Center for Brain Diseases which will also integrate Neurology and Psychiatry and the Center for Clinical Research of the Brain; the Eating Disorders Institute; a synagogue, auditorim, movie theater and an outdoor therapeutic garden.
The enhanced Educational Center will also move to the new facility and will provide an innovative interpretation of a “school for hospitalized children”. It will be located in a large area at the front of the building in order to accord a unique environment linking children with the healthy world outside. The significance is to create added value through the integration of leisure time, research, art, music and the experience of a healthy routine, alongside mandatory studies as defined by the Ministry of Education. An underground parking area with 1000 spaces for patients and visitors is nearing completion next to the building.
The architectural design of the building (by the office of Mor-Yaski-Sivan) placed emphasis on creating a dialogue with the community, resulting in a welcoming and friendly connection for children and their families. Along the eastern side of the building, a huge and spacious lobby was built, surrounded by balconies emanating from all the departments and overlooking the entrance atrium. These open sections include inter alia, rooms for study, games, leisure and therapy. The entrance floor boasts a buzzing commercial area with shops and cafeterias for visitors.
The glass building was constructed according to green standards with green lungs that aim to save energy, such as the internal patio and outdoor garden extending over 5 dunams with the emphasis upon a large interior area for children, parents and staff.
Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, CEO of Schneider Children’s, said that ” Schneider Children’s set a new bar and changed the face of pediatric medicine in Israel, and very quickly became recognized as one of the global leaders in its field. The founders of the hospital and the multidisciplinary staff weaved a targeted culture for all children wherever they may be, created a unique language with children and their families, and achieved medical successes adapted to all ages from infants to adolescents. At the same time, its popularity soared dramatically as its services grew in demand, resulting in heavy overload. As part of the hospital’s strategy plan a decade ago that was approved by Clalit’s management, the idea of building an extension was presented by my predecessor, Prof. Joseph Press, and would grant Schneider the needed breathing space and allow it to take another step forward while reinforcing its recognized quality as the one and only unique center for children in Israel. The glass building propels us towards the future and heralds good news to pediatrics. The building was constructed according to the highest international standards and will promote the advanced professional care of many more children from all over the country. The hospital will endorse innovation, and offer a different hospitalization experience both from the aspect of the setting and the equipment, to the privacy for families.”
Mr. Eli Cohen, CEO of the Clalit Group, stated that “Schneider Children’s is the leading hospital for children in Israel. The new inpatient building prepares it to meet the next 50 years and provides it with the most advanced infrastructures and abilities now and in the future. The unparalleled investment of both donors and Clalit ensures the continuation of its development and novel therapies in providing the finest pediatric care to every child in the country.”