East Tennessee Children's Hospital - History

History

Opening in 1937, the 28-bed facility at 1912 Laurel Avenue was known as the Knox County Crippled Children's Hospital, and its primary purpose was to care for children with polio. In the 1940s, because of admissions from outside Knox County, officials changed the name of the hospital to East Tennessee Crippled Children's Hospital, open to children birth through 21 years with any type of illness.

Because of the advent of antibiotics and the polio vaccine, the need for specialized orthopedic services diminished. Because of this, the hospital was officially renamed East Tennessee Children's Hospital in 1955 and began to focus on all pediatric illnesses and injuries.

In 1970, a new facility with 74 beds opened at the hospital's current location, 2018 Clinch Avenue, a few blocks from the original location. In 1975, the number of beds increased from 74 to 96 with the completion of a 22-bed fourth floor. Later in 1975, the addition of an Intensive Care Nursery increased total beds at East Tennessee Children's Hospital to 122.

A 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) emergency department was completed in 1981, and a five-story medical office building was added in 1986. Additional facility expansions—without a change in total patient beds—took place in 1988, 1993, 1994 and 2001.

The hospital constructed two parking garages, the first in 1993 (now used for patient and physician parking) and the second in 2001 (for employee parking).

In 1999, a new three-story hospital office building, Children's Plaza, opened. It was renamed in 2001 to honor longtime hospital president Bob Koppel on the 25th anniversary of his presidency. This building was expanded in 2003, more than doubling in size.

In 2001 Children's Hospital received state approval to begin development of Children's West, an outpatient campus in West Knoxville. The campus now is home to the Children's West Surgery Center (a day surgery center that opened in 2003) and Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center, which relocated from its former site in 2004.

Also in 2001 Children's Hospital announced plans for a major expansion and renovation project on the main campus. The project included a new seven-story patient tower, a third-floor addition over the existing Emergency Department and renovation of much of the existing facility, including renovation of all semi-private patient rooms into private rooms with full baths.

Children's Hospital's $31.8 million expansion project was completed in 2005. When the project began, Children's Hospital was a 169,700-square-foot, 122-bed facility; the hospital now has 285,500 square feet (26,520 m2) of space and 152 licensed beds.

In January 2004, Children's Hospital provided care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Tennessee's first surviving quintuplets, the van Tols: Willem Scott, Sean Conner, Isabella Marie, Ashley Faith and Meghan Ann.

In 2006, the hospital provided surgical care to two Iraqi girls brought to the United States for treatment of serious medical conditions.