Creating a New Environment of Care for Children and Families in NYC
Investing in children has always been part of Mount Sinai’s mission. We have been caring for children and adolescents for more than 130 years, since Abraham Jacobi, MD, founded the first pediatric department within a hospital in New York City in 1878.
Today, we continue that distinguished tradition of excellence at our Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, which is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s finest. The outstanding care we deliver starts with new ideas and research breakthroughs that originate right on our campus. Our experts join forces every day to heal the sickest children, who come to us from all over the region, and notably, from some of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City.
Now, we are launching a new phase of transformation and growth with an ambitious capital campaign to fully renovate Kravis Children’s Hospital, elevating our standard of care and reshaping the future of children’s health at Mount Sinai. This reinvention sets us on a new trajectory, engraining a family perspective in everything we do for children, infusing optimism and hope into the very fabric of a brand-new, state-of-the-art children’s hospital. The result will be a best-in-class experience, leading to brighter futures for all whom we serve.
Designed for Children and Families
Creating a better physical environment for patients—particularly pediatric patients—can have a strong impact on treatment outcomes.
We know that it is critically important to have an environment of care that is supportive and comforting for children and their families, helping to lessen their anxieties about being in the hospital and going through unfamiliar procedures. But a children’s hospital shouldn’t just heal illness or injury; it should also be a fun place that lets kids be kids, promoting opportunities for healthy development and improved well-being after they leave. That is why a complete reimagining of Kravis Children’s Hospital is the cornerstone of our future vision for children’s health at Mount Sinai.
We envision the new Kravis Children’s Hospital as warm, welcoming, and family-centered, where care flows seamlessly between various subspecialties and everything is child-friendly and kid-sized, from the furniture to the decor to the most sophisticated technologies. Our thoughtful design will ensure that every space within our children’s hospital provides a dynamic, healing, and personalized experience that not only relieves stress but inspires delight.With philanthropic support, we can launch this bold and ambitious plan, which will resonate with children, parents, and caregivers as soon as they come through our doors.
"We work tirelessly at Mount Sinai to deliver innovative care, research, and education that equitably advances health for all children and families. A reinvention of Kravis Children’s Hospital is a key part of our mission, promising to lead the way to happier, healthier futures for each and every child."
– Lisa Satlin, MD, Chair of Pediatrics, Pediatrician-in-Chief, and Interim Chief Operating Officer, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital
- Spaces will be playful, interactive, and calming—where children, their family members, and caregivers will feel a sense of belonging and being supported.
- An intentional use of color and lively architectural elements throughout the building will shape a harmonious atmosphere of energy and calm.
- Whimsical, animal-themed murals reflect the hospital’s proximity to Central Park—and also feature our beloved facility dogs, who are a vital source of comfort and relief.
- A bright, interactive front entrance and lobby sets the tone for a family’s experience at Kravis Children’s Hospital—and all future interactions at Mount Sinai.
- Interactive technologies that promote the healing power of play, including tablets children receive at the beginning of their stay that unlock games, videos, digital art, and other activities to make their time with us as entertaining and pleasant as possible.
- New and vibrant waiting and play areas will help normalize a hospital stay and provide welcome distractions from impending procedures.
- Beautiful, spacious family lounges and private consultation rooms where parents can comfortably relax and talk to their child’s health care team.
- Design elements include larger windows to bring in more greenery, views of nearby Central Park, and natural light.
A 21st Century Hospital that Cures and Comforts
A state-of-the-art Kravis Children’s Hospital is at the heart of our children’s health initiatives at Mount Sinai.
Having listened to our community of mothers, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers, our forward-looking vision calls for a transformation of Kravis Children’s Hospital that will welcome our youngest and most vulnerable patients into a fully supportive and family-friendly world, while also offering the very best technologies, medical equipment, and devices.
Furthermore, these renovations will allow our internationally recognized, professionally credentialed Child Life Specialists—who use art, music, and other forms of therapeutic play to help manage issues that so often accompany hospitalization and illness—to be more deeply involved in a child’s medical journey from beginning to end. It will also empower our unique Paws & Play program to further embed our specially trained facility dogs throughout the hospital, providing much-needed distraction and comfort during every family’s visit.
- A remodeled Kravis Children’s Hospital will expand our Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder Newborn Intensive Care Unit, adding 3,600 square feet of clinical space to treat more babies, incorporating private areas so parents can bond more intimately with their newborns.
- This expansion of the neonatal unit would include a dedicated milk room with the latest technologies and trained staff, which ensures hospitalized infants get all the nutrition they need to grow and develop in their first months of life.
- Our plan also calls for an upgraded pumping room, so new mothers can provide breast milk for their newborns with up-to-the-minute equipment in a more private, relaxed, and high-end environment.
“Life starts in the NICU, and our job is to give our babies a future. Our hope is that future renovations will provide us with a physical space that matches the high level of expert care we provide.”
– Courtney E. Juliano, MD, System Chief, Division of Newborn Medicine, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital
- Our vision for Kravis Children’s Hospital includes the creation of an imaging center exclusively for children and adolescents that will significantly reduce radiation exposure, minimize the need for sedation, ease wait times, and improve outcomes.
- A full renovation of the hospital’s sixth floor will enable us to accommodate both critical and acute care patients at all levels of illness, so children can stay in one room during their hospitalization. With the most advanced tools and technologies available on this floor, our dedicated multidisciplinary health care teams can work together effortlessly in one place and provide an elevated continuum of care.
- This redesign features private rooms that are more spacious and comfortable, with sleeping accommodations for family members—something that is imperative to help calm frightened children and ease the minds of worried parents.
- A dedicated family-centered pediatric surgical center will allow young patients to receive care and treatment without having to interact or recover with adults, with cheerful waiting and post-op areas designed to make children and their parents feel more at home.
“The most innovative thing about pediatric surgery in the last few decades is the recognition that pediatric patients in a surgical space should be treated with specialized teams and specialized spaces. Separate spaces for children improve outcomes. The renovations we’re trying to do will change every aspect of the patient experience.”
– Peter S. Midulla, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital
The Power of Philanthropy
With the evolution of Kravis Children’s Hospital, we have the chance to establish something truly special: a shining example for children’s health that comforts as well as cures. Our vision will bring lifelong health and wellness to countless children throughout the region while forging ahead with inventive research that will help babies, children, and adolescents across the globe.
We need the support of philanthropic partners like you to build the best children’s hospital in New York City and provide world-class care for each and every child. We hope you will join us, so we can realize this exciting plan together and build towards a better tomorrow for our children today.