Elizabeth Earley: Elizabeth.Earley@CHKD.org or (757) 668-9049
NORFOLK, Va. – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is proud to announce that its 14-story Children’s Pavilion will open on April 25, starting with outpatient services before launching its highly anticipated inpatient psychiatric care later in the year.
The community rallied behind CHKD’s decision to build the $224 million building in response to the growing need for pediatric mental health services in our region. The innovative, color- and light-filled environment for healing will eventually include 60 inpatient psychiatric beds, along with primary care pediatrics, sports medicine, outpatient mental health services, and support services. The goal is to provide an environment that integrates access to mental health services into other routine services to de-stigmatize mental health treatment.
General Academic Pediatrics, a CHKD primary care practice, will begin treating patients in Children’s Pavilion on April 25, moving from the first floor of CHKD’s main hospital on the same campus to the 4th floor of Children’s Pavilion at 401 Gresham Drive.
Pediatric psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and mental health therapists will be providing outpatient mental health care beginning the same day on the 9th floor of Children’s Pavilion. Children in need of emergency mental health treatment will continue to go to the emergency department in the main CHKD hospital.
Sports medicine physicians who specialize in athletic, exercise, musculoskeletal and sports related injuries or pain will begin treating patients on April 28 on the 5th floor of Children's Pavilion.
Laboratory and radiology services will also be available in Children's Pavilion this week.
Meanwhile, work is continuing at a fast pace on around-the-clock inpatient services with final interior work and staff recruitment of professionals from across the country advancing simultaneously. CHKD will invite the media to tour the Pavilion and host a dedication ceremony later this year before opening its first inpatient beds.
CHKD launched a mental health initiative in 2018 to answer the growing community concern about a lack of pediatric mental health services in Hampton Roads and across Virginia. Since then, CHKD has grown its mental health team from one full-time child and adolescent psychiatrist who was part of a 30-member team to its current 11 psychiatrists on a team of more than 200.
Thanks to the generous community response to our Lighting the Way fundraising campaign, construction of Children’s Pavilion began in September of 2019. The 60 private rooms will open in phases with the first beds opening later this year. The rooms, which have large windows with stunning views of the region’s waterways, were designed to keep patients safe without feeling restricted. The inpatient area will also have healing amenities like music and art rooms, an indoor exercise gym, and a rooftop area where hospitalized children can get exercise and fresh air.
The community has raised $65 million toward this project through the Lighting the Way campaign, exceeding a preliminary goal which has now been elevated to $75 million to meet the increased needs for pediatric mental health care that arose during the pandemic.