First women’s and children’s hospital in Missouri to open Thursday

COLUMBIA - What's billed as the first women's and children's hospital in Missouri is preparing for its grand opening and public tours Thursday.

The University of Missouri Women's and Children's Hospital, formerly Columbia Regional Hospital, plans to showcase its consolidated services and renovations with a ribbon-cutting Thursday and public tours from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at 404 Keene St. 

MU Health Care had invested approximately $14.3 million in renovations to MU Women's and Children's Hospital. Included in that total is $12 million for the consolidation of Children's Hospital services under one roof at MU Women's and Children's Hospital and $2.3 million in renovations and improvements to the Women's Health Center.

“Children’s hospital attracts patients from every county in Missouri," Matt Splett, media coordinator for MU Health Care, said. "This new location is going to be very beneficial to our patients.”

Women’s services have existed at Columbia Regional Hospital for years, but children’s medical services provided by MU Health Care have been in different locations: pediatric and adolescent inpatients at University Hospital, neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric transport at Columbia Regional, and pediatric outpatient clinics at various locations around Columbia.

All of those services will be housed at the new women's and children's hospital.

“We want to create a hospital in mid-Missouri that serves women and children in one convenient location,” Splett said.

The new hospital will feature private rooms for children, and kid-friendly decor welcomes patients in the new lobby.

A clinic devoted to maternal-fetal medicine has been remodeled and expanded to better serve women with high-risk pregnancies.

Thirteen new pediatric specialists will be added to the Department of Child Health in the final six months of 2010. These specialists will bring medical expertise in such areas as pediatric cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology/diabetes and additional pediatric services. There also will be three new physicians added to the women’s services.