"Referrals into our campuses in both Youngstown and Akron have increased dramatically, which has driven the need for us to have more space," said hospital president Bill Considine with Akron Children's Hospital.


The seven story patient care tower boasts more than 350,000 square feet of space.  Construction began less than two years ago.  Inside the new patient tower, patients will find a new neonatal intensive care unit with 75 private rooms, a new emergency department, an expanded outpatient surgery center and the hospital's first special delivery unit for mother's of babies, who are high-risk.


"They can deliver their baby right here at the hospital and then have the baby taken care of if the baby needs a surgical intervention. That can happen without transporting the baby from another regional hospital," said Considine.


With 60% of patient transports to Akron coming from the Mahoning Valley, hospital officials anticipate they'll serve many Valley families at the new Kay Jewelers Pavilion.


"The patients that get transferred from Mahoning Valley to this campus are some of the quaternary and tertiary patients that require possibly brain surgery, require heart surgery that benefit from the services and resources that have been put together over 125 years here on our Akron campus," said Considine.


The hospital wrapped up construction on the new patient tower two months ahead of schedule and $60 million under budget.