One of the newest + most beautiful additions to Chattanooga’s skyline is making a huge impact on our community. After years of planning and development, Children’s Hospital at Erlanger opened its new Kennedy Outpatient Center in downtown Chattanooga in December 2018 – the first phase of a large transformation project for Chattanooga’s children’s hospital.

The new Kennedy Outpatient Center provides children access to the most advanced technology available, like their digital high-contrast scanning machine capable of capturing full-body images with much lower radiation than traditional radiographs, all in as little as 15 seconds.

Plus, it’s approachable. It was designed with input from real children patients + their families to improve every aspect of the medical visit. Seriously: There’s a train in the lobby, a Secret Garden playground, a firetruck on the third floor, and even a café with frozen yogurt. 🍦 For parents, there’s complimentary valet parking, self-check-in + self-payment kiosks, and local artwork throughout the center.

As the only children’s hospital in the region, Erlanger is providing vital resources for nearly half a million pediatric patients in + around Chattanooga. Here are some impressive stats:

100,000: The combined total of outpatient, inpatient + emergency department visits per year to all Children’s Hospital at Erlanger locations.
170+: The number of common conditions treated, as Children’s Hospital at Erlanger treats nearly every illness that enters its doors – very few cases are referred to facilities outside the region.
$11.5 million: The initial pledge made by Erlanger Health System to begin development of the Kennedy Outpatient Center.
51,442: The number of individual gifts from community members that raised the necessary funds to build the center.
$40 million+: The total money raised by the community for the new center.
90,000: The square footage of the completed Kennedy Outpatient Center.
5: The years it took from conception to completion of the center. Click here for a timeline of the project that is helping so many children in Chattanooga + beyond. Ⓟ

Timeline of Kennedy Outpatient Center:

- 2013: Erlanger CEO Kevin M. Spiegel announces vision to replace 40-year-old T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital.
- October 2014: Design + construction concepts for first phase are unveiled.
- October 2015: Erlanger Foundation kicks off employee giving campaign, in which 3,000+ employees and physicians participate.
- January 2016: The Believe Campaign is publicly launched
- December 2016: City of Chattanooga pledges $1 million in memory of Woodmore Elementary School students.
- March 2017: Erlanger Foundation receives a transformational $4 million anonymous gift.
- April 2017: Inaugural Believe Bash black-tie gala raises ~$600,000.
- June 2017: Erlanger officially breaks ground on the new center.
- July 2018: The Kennedy Family Foundation’s $5 million gift becomes the largest gift in Erlanger history + exceeds the campaign’s $28.5 million goal.
- December 2018: The Kennedy Outpatient Center opens it doors to the public.

See for yourself what makes the Kennedy Outpatient Center so special in this video from their grand opening, then take a virtual 360º tour of the new center. Ⓟ

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