Photo: The new state-of-the-art Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital will allow Ochsner Health pediatric experts to provide high quality, comprehensive healthcare to even more young patients. | Photo Credit: HOK
NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Health reached a pivotal milestone in advancing pediatric healthcare in the Gulf South region with the April 29 groundbreaking of the Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital. The groundbreaking coincided with the announcement of a new partnership between Ochsner Health and Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana.
A New Home for Pediatric Care
Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, operating 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. The addition of the new state-of-the-art Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital will allow Ochsner Health pediatric experts to provide high quality, comprehensive healthcare to even more young patients. The project was first announced in December 2023 following a transformative $300 million gift from the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation.
The significant investment marks the largest single construction project in the system’s history. Slated for completion in early 2028, the five-story, 343,000-square-foot, pediatric and family-centered facility will be constructed on the campus of Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans. Designed by HOK and Rozas Ward Architects, it will include a larger, more easily accessible pediatric emergency department, with significant enhancements to critical care, operating rooms and imaging capacity. The new Level IV Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will also enable highly specialized care for babies who need surgery.
“HOK is proud to contribute our pediatric healthcare and design expertise in collaboration with the remarkable team at Ochsner Children’s Hospital,” said HOK Healthcare Practice Leader Karen Freeman in statement announcing the project in December 2023. “This new home for Ochsner will provide an environment that matches its nationally-recognized care for pediatric patients and families throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South.”
Ochsner Children’s Hospital is already a leader in comprehensive pediatric care, treating over 100,000 children annually. The project will ultimately allow Ochsner Children’s Hospital to further expand access to treatments and more than 200 specialists in more than 30 pediatric specialties and subspecialties.
Exterior projects will include the development of a pocket park and green space featuring oak trees as well as plans for a pedestrian crossing to improve access to the Mississippi River levee pathway. Additionally, the project will provide over 435,000 gallons of improved underground drainage retention.
Make-A-Wish Partnership
In addition to building capacity to serve more young patients, the organization’s partnership with Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana will “bring hope and joy to children facing critical illnesses,” according to a statement by Ochsner Health. Over the next two years, this collaboration will fund 28 wishes, offering life-changing experiences that spark strength and positivity. The partnership aims to make a tangible difference in young patients’ lives by improving not just health outcomes but also their emotional well-being.
“This partnership represents a great commitment to our mission of bringing hope, strength and joy to children battling critical illnesses,” said Shelly Millwee, president and CEO, Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana, in a statement. “Together, we have the ability to transform lives, delivering one-of-a-kind wish experiences to children and their families when they need it most to help in their medical journey.”
