A key children’s medical center in the Midwest is getting a major expansion. Children’s Mercy Hospital announced it will build a new $1 billion acute patient tower at the Adele Hall campus. This addition is in response to the growing need for specialized pediatric care. “Demand is already pressing our capacity, so this is about readiness and responsibility,” said Alejandro Quiroga, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy, in a news release. “When a child in our community needs an ICU bed, and minutes matter, we must have the space and the very best teams ready to act. “This investment protects our ability to say ‘yes’ to the next child who needs us, while strengthening the expertise, compassion, and advanced care families count on. It’s the same obligation we’ve carried for 129 years, and we’re building for what comes next.” Third-party assessments of Children’s Mercy’s facility estimate that without expansion, in five years, it will only meet 67% of the projected total bed needs, hospital officials say. The expansion will reportedly increase the hospital’s total capacity by 25-30%. Early designs plan for the tower to become home to the PICU and NICU and expand the emergency department. The tower will also house a state-of-the-art surgical department, a new lobby and more natural light and green space to support families and healing. “This moment reflects real momentum and a clear choice to honor our legacy by building what kids need next,” Quiroga said. “It’s powered by our people, backed by our Board and made possible by a community that believes children deserve nationally recognized care, built for families. This isn’t just Children’s Mercy growing; it’s Kansas City leading for kids today, and for the future.” The tower will be funded by private-public investments. Work is expected to begin this fall with a completion target of 2031. Children’s Mercy is one of only 28 pediatric hospitals in the country. Reaction from the Ronald McDonald House of Kansas CityThe Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City is among those most excited about expansion plans. “We’re excited to be part of what’s happening here in this neighborhood,” said Tami Greenberg, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Kansas City. The Ronald McDonald House operates three homes adjacent to Children’s Mercy, providing free housing in 94 bedrooms that are fully occupied every night by families who want to stay close to loved ones receiving care. “Children’s Mercy has meant everything to this community for so long and has saved the lives of countless children, has saved just countless families, quite frankly,” Greenberg said. Renderings of the new tower show it will be about twice the height of the hospital’s research institute. The expansion could also lead to future growth for the Ronald McDonald House, which currently serves 5,000 families annually. “In a given year, we take care of 5,000 families whose kids are sick. And so, and we know that numbers are going to grow. And so we’re going to grow with it,” Greenberg said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
A key children’s medical center in the Midwest is getting a major expansion.
Children’s Mercy Hospital announced it will build a new $1 billion acute patient tower at the Adele Hall campus. This addition is in response to the growing need for specialized pediatric care.
“Demand is already pressing our capacity, so this is about readiness and responsibility,” said Alejandro Quiroga, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy, in a news release. “When a child in our community needs an ICU bed, and minutes matter, we must have the space and the very best teams ready to act.
“This investment protects our ability to say ‘yes’ to the next child who needs us, while strengthening the expertise, compassion, and advanced care families count on. It’s the same obligation we’ve carried for 129 years, and we’re building for what comes next.”
Third-party assessments of Children’s Mercy’s facility estimate that without expansion, in five years, it will only meet 67% of the projected total bed needs, hospital officials say.
The expansion will reportedly increase the hospital’s total capacity by 25-30%.
Children’s Mercy Hospital
Early designs plan for the tower to become home to the PICU and NICU and expand the emergency department. The tower will also house a state-of-the-art surgical department, a new lobby and more natural light and green space to support families and healing.
“This moment reflects real momentum and a clear choice to honor our legacy by building what kids need next,” Quiroga said. “It’s powered by our people, backed by our Board and made possible by a community that believes children deserve nationally recognized care, built for families. This isn’t just Children’s Mercy growing; it’s Kansas City leading for kids today, and for the future.”
The tower will be funded by private-public investments. Work is expected to begin this fall with a completion target of 2031.
Children’s Mercy is one of only 28 pediatric hospitals in the country.
Reaction from the Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City
The Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City is among those most excited about expansion plans.
“We’re excited to be part of what’s happening here in this neighborhood,” said Tami Greenberg, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Kansas City.
The Ronald McDonald House operates three homes adjacent to Children’s Mercy, providing free housing in 94 bedrooms that are fully occupied every night by families who want to stay close to loved ones receiving care.
“Children’s Mercy has meant everything to this community for so long and has saved the lives of countless children, has saved just countless families, quite frankly,” Greenberg said.
Renderings of the new tower show it will be about twice the height of the hospital’s research institute.
The expansion could also lead to future growth for the Ronald McDonald House, which currently serves 5,000 families annually.
“In a given year, we take care of 5,000 families whose kids are sick. And so, and we know that numbers are going to grow. And so we’re going to grow with it,” Greenberg said.