Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital reaches campaign milestone

Hershey, Pa. –  The campaign to build the free-standing Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has reached a milestone with $50 million raised to date.

At a news conference today (May 7), Penn State President Graham Spanier urged the community to get involved with the campaign called "Create a Home for Hope." The campaign is just shy of its goal of $65 million to construct a new state-of-the-art hospital focused specifically on the needs of children and their families.

Penn State Hershey expects to complete construction of the new children's hospital by 2012, according to Harold L. Paz, chief executive officer of the Medical Center, Penn State's senior vice president for health affairs, and dean of Penn State College of Medicine.

A new proposed artist’s rendering of the building also was unveiled today. The new facility will provide more physical space for patients. The rooms, completely child/family-focused, will allow for more privacy. The building has been designed for the full integration of pediatric services to allow for seamless patient care.

"As the only children's hospital in the region, we continue to stretch as much as we possibly can," said A. Craig Hillemeier, medical director of Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. "Despite our lack of space, our services and programs continue to grow. This is why there is such a need for a new facility to benefit our community and beyond."