Omaha, Neb.-based Children's Hospital & Medical Center broke ground on a $450 million facility Dec. 8, Omaha World-Herald reports.
The 10-story facility — called the Hubbard Center for Children — will add about 500,000 square feet of space and 70 beds to the current hospital. About 100 additional specialists will be hired because of the expansion.
Funds will also be allocated toward renovating 100,000 square feet of the hospital's existing building, set to begin after the new facility is completed in early 2021, according to the report.
This year, Children's Hospital & Medical Center has had to turn away 97 children for critical care due to lack of space.
"The demand for the high-quality pediatric care we provide is growing rapidly, straining our current facilities," Richard Azizkhan, MD, Children's president and CEO, said in a statement to Omaha World-Herald. "We must expand — in space and scope — because children and families are counting on us to be the best now and into the future."
Construction is slated to begin this spring.