State Invests In USA Health’s Pediatric Emergency Center

As part of its 2021 legislative session, the State of Alabama committed $500,000 to the renovation and expansion of the Pediatric Emergency Center at the USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. This brings the state’s investment in it to $1 million. The project, which is being considered for approval by the state on June 16, calls for more than doubling the current emergency department, from 9,000 ft2 to nearly 19,000 ft2 and expanding from 14 treatment areas to more than 30, including 25 private treatment rooms. The project will also create two behavioral health rooms and a sensory room for patients with specialized needs. The center is the only healthcare facility in the region offering specialized care 24/7 and staffed with pediatric emergency medicine physicians. The initial estimated cost of the entire project is $15 million. Including the state’s most recent appropriation, USA Health has raised more than $10 million through donations so far. Once approved, it is to take approximately two years to complete.