Groundbreaking Celebration Marks Beginning of Construction

Hospital employees, volunteers, administrators, planners, business leaders, elected officials and community members donned bright yellow hardhats and gathered at the excavation site on Thursday, Sept. 6, to celebrate the official groundbreaking for a transformational expansion of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

“This is an important day and a milestone for our evolution,” said Christopher G. Dawes, Packard Children’s president and CEO. “I want to acknowledge the tremendous work that takes place here every single day. Our patients, families and staff inspired us to build this hospital so that we can take care of the most complex needs and provide true family-centered care.”

Scheduled to open in 2016, the new building will optimize the hospital’s services and infrastructure, adding more beds, private rooms, state-of-the-art operating suites, family-friendly amenities and the flexible floor space the hospital needs to adapt to new technologies and more efficient services.

“The new hospital has been designed not only for our patients today but also for what we anticipate their needs will be in the future,” added Dawes. “It will incorporate the very latest diagnostic capabilities with the flexibility to change as technology changes while also providing more privacy and more space for families.”

To date, the philanthropic community has contributed more than $250 million to the project, including lead gifts from John A. and Susan Sobrato, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and corporate partners Hewlett-Packard and Apple.

Hewlett-Packard president and CEO, Meg Whitman, shared her enthusiasm for the event and commitment to Packard Children’s. “Packard Children’s and HP share a deep history and DNA,” said Whitman, referring to Lucile Packard’s role as a driving force in constructing the hospital more than two decades ago. “We are honored to be part of your history and look forward to being part of your future.”

Whitman cited ongoing collaborations between HP scientists and Packard Children’s researchers that have led to innovations like a digital Patient Safety Dashboard.

Children and families who have come to Packard Children’s over the past 20 years benefit from deep medical expertise and a family-focused approach to care, an approach that was highlighted by former patients who spoke at the event. “This hospital saved my life,” said 17-year-old Miranda Ashland, who received a liver transplant when she was 2 months old. “I got not only a liver but a second chance to live my life. The expansion means that so many more children will be given the hope they need.”