Welcome to the fresh, calming feel of the mountains – inside Atrium Health Levine Children’s. Everything, from the paint colors to the technology, to the hide-and-seek walls and special ceiling tiles, was designed with the youngest patients in mind.
In April 2023, Levine Children’s opened the completely reimagined fourth floor of what will one day be called Atrium Health Levine Children’s Medical Plaza. Currently called the Medical Center Plaza, the entire building is being remodeled floor by floor to become a multidisciplinary space for the region’s growing pediatric population to access to the latest treatment options, patient programs and medical technology.
Making Specialty Care Special
The fourth floor, specifically, is a 22,000-square-foot mountain-themed space featuring 33 patient exam rooms with neighboring provider office space to streamline care, two therapy gyms and several interactive features throughout to help provide a fun outlet for children during appointments.
With every detail carefully and intentionally designed, the floor is home to outpatient care for children needing neurology; urology; psychology; general surgery; cleft, craniofacial and reconstructive surgery; and neonatal follow-up care. In June 2023, the floor will also house adolescent gynecology care.
“It’s our hope that this space will provide children a fun, calming environment to receive treatment,” says Callie Dobbins, senior vice president of Atrium Health Levine Children‘s. “Behind the scenes, the design allows our care teams to work closely together, offering families the seamless care they deserve. "A lot of times, children need to be seen by more than one specialist and by creating this space for all these specialties to be together, our care teams can collaborate without the patient having to move locations.”
A Child-like Look and Feel
Streamlining care is only one piece of the goal for the reimagined fourth floor and overall Medical Plaza. While the space delivers on the commitment to offer the latest treatment options, patient programs and medical technology, Levine Children’s knows care is more than just medicine.
“It’s important each child and family feel comfortable and cared for in a way that is unique to them. For children, having fun games, like the hide and seek scavenger hunt we’ve incorporated in the graphics throughout the space, gives the patient something entertaining to focus on while receiving treatment,” Dobbins adds.
The lobby area also has an interactive video wall for patients to play games while they wait. From floor to ceiling – literally, the hallways have special floor tiles so children can skip, hop or jump from tile to tile and the ceiling tiles have fun mountain-themed stamps – the space is visually designed for a child-like feel.
Beyond the aesthetics, the care teams are also dedicated to creating a safe, comfortable space for each patient. Child life specialists and other experts are available to help with distraction during procedures, explanation of diagnoses in age-appropriate terms and more.
What’s Next?
The fourth floor is the second floor to open as part of the reimagined Levine Children’s Medical Plaza. It follows the December 2020 opening of the fifth floor, which is home to Greg Olsen’s family funded HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center. The next phase of the Medical Plaza is anticipated to open in summer 2023 and will be home to outpatient oncology, hematology, BMT and infusion care.
To learn more about Levine Children’s specialty care, click here.
