ATLANTA (Oct. 12, 2020) – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation today announced the naming of the newest hospital within the healthcare system. Made possible through a generous $200 million donation from The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, it is the largest donation in Children’s history. It is also the single-largest naming gift to a freestanding pediatric hospital. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital is a transformative $1.5 billion project, which will improve quality of care, patient experience and access to specialized pediatric healthcare for Georgia’s children and families. Arthur M. Blank Hospital, the largest healthcare project ever in the history of the state, is expected to open its doors in 2025.
In addition to The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Blank’s family of businesses includes the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United; nationwide PGA TOUR Superstore; three ranches in Montana, Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, West Creek Ranch and Paradise Valley Ranch; and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s a great honor for me and my family to be connected to Children’s, and a great honor for us to be connected to a system that has dealt with research, illness and disease for the most precious commodities that we have in the world, our children,” said Arthur M. Blank, Chairman of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “Children’s is one of the greatest pediatric hospitals in the United States. The work they are doing right here in our backyard will make a difference forever, and that’s very meaningful to me, my family and our associates.”
Blank is no stranger to Children’s, having donated nearly $10 million and been involved with patients in various activities and fundraisers in and outside the hospital walls since 2001.
“As the largest and only freestanding pediatric healthcare system in Georgia, it’s our responsibility to serve both current and future generations of children,” said Donna Hyland, CEO at Children’s. “Today’s milestone marks an important step in making this hospital a reality, which will help make sure we can meet the growing patient demand, bring hope to families and provide access to the unique specialized care offered by Children’s. We are beyond grateful to Arthur and his family's foundation for this generous donation to help our mission grow and inspire others to give to Children’s.”
The 1.5 million-square-foot hospital will be located at the northeastern corner of North Druid Hills Road NE and Interstate 85 in Brookhaven. Designed to take advantage of research-proven healing views of nature, Arthur M. Blank Hospital will include one tower with two wings and additional operating rooms, specialty beds and diagnostic equipment to meet anticipated patient needs. There will also be space for clinical research, clinical trials and overall patient care. As Children’s moves to a public fundraising campaign, it will look to the community for support of the not-for-profit, a shared resource for Georgia and beyond.
About Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital
Arthur M. Blank Hospital will continue to raise the bar to provide advanced pediatric care to kids throughout Georgia and beyond, and will focus on cardiac, hematology/oncology and transplant services. The Children's Heart Center, ranked in the top 5 in the U.S. for Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) volumes, surgical procedures and catheterization procedures, will have expanded resources and capabilities at the new hospital to provide even better care for our cardiac patients. The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's, which cares for more kids with cancer than anyone in the state of Georgia, will consolidate all inpatient services at the new hospital with 110 beds, representing 25% of total hospital beds. The consolidation will also eliminate travel burdens on patient families for treatment and follow-up appointments.
Arthur M. Blank Hospital will be designated as a dedicated Level 1 pediatric trauma center, the only one in Georgia. Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital will remain a Level 2 pediatric trauma center and grow its neuroscience and orthopedic programs, while Children’s Hughes Spalding Hospital will remain focused on providing primary care, and treating sickle cell disease and asthma.
Over the last several years of our planning process, more than 50 departments and 400 clinical and operational leaders participated in hospital design meetings. Additionally, 100 patients and teens engaged in planning efforts through family advisory councils. The Children’s Simulation Team conducted more than 130 scenarios within 114,000 square feet of mock-up space, resulting in more than 120 opportunities for design improvements.
Thanks in part to valuable feedback, the hospital will have larger single-patient rooms, meeting modern standards of care for pediatric hospitals, and will allow for families to more comfortably stay overnight with their children. More than 75% of patient rooms will have views of the garden, and the campus will feature 20 acres of greenspace and walking trails. Other key amenities across the hospital, including family kitchens, business centers, shower facilities and laundry rooms, will help to normalize a family’s routine as much as possible. Playgrounds, playrooms, libraries and school-support spaces will allow for kids to feel like kids.
Attached to the hospital will be an 11-story, 325,000-square-foot medical office building that will house outpatient clinics, a high-tech simulation center and medical conference space. This proximity to the hospital will allow physicians to move quickly between inpatient, clinical and administrative responsibilities.