Tower gives Wolfson Children's Hospital room to grow in Jacksonville, simplifies getting around Baptist Medical

Matt Soergel, Florida Times-Union
·4 min read

Baptist Heath this week officially opened its new seven-story building at its downtown complex, a project that gives much-needed extra room for Wolfson Children's Hospital while also making for a new front entrance for both Wolfson and Baptist Medical Center.

The $224 million project adds 225,000 square feet to the Southbank medical complex next to Interstate 95, which desperately needed space to grow. "We were busting at the seams," said Michael Aubin, president of the children's hospital.

It also makes for considerably easier navigation when getting to the various medical buildings on the campus, a process that could be especially daunting to newer visitors.

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The Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower has opened at Baptist Health's Southbank campus, giving much-need space for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and serving as the new entryway to both Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children's Hospital.
The Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower has opened at Baptist Health's Southbank campus, giving much-need space for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and serving as the new entryway to both Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children's Hospital.

"This is the new entrance. It realigns, so people can physically see where to go when they approach our campus both ways on the interstate," said Michael Mayo, president and CEO of Baptist Health. "It changes everything."

The new structure, called the Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower, connects via a skybridge over Palm Avenue to a new seven-story parking garage. That skyway gives access to both Wolfson Children's and the adult hospital.

"It's a very succinct way to traverse and navigate this campus," Mayo said.

The first two floors of the tower serve as the lobby and entryway to Wolfson Children's and Baptist Jacksonville.

Michael Aubin, president of Wolfson Children's Hospital, gives a tour of the new Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower at the Southbank campus.
Michael Aubin, president of Wolfson Children's Hospital, gives a tour of the new Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower at the Southbank campus.

The other five floors will be used for children's intensive care. Three of those floors are set aside for neonatal intensive care, while there's also room for a pediatric intensive-care unit, a cardiovascular intensive-care unit and a burn and wound unit.

The Borowy tower adds 127 suites for families, each with a couch that turns into a bed and a full bathroom. There are community areas for siblings and families.

"Some parents will be here for six months, a year," Aubin said. "These babies can stay a long time. The objective is, the more time parents can spend with patients, the better the outcomes."

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Erika Lamas, a medical corpsman at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, is the mother of triplet girls who were the first patients transferred to Wolfson Children's Hospital's new Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower.
Erika Lamas, a medical corpsman at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, is the mother of triplet girls who were the first patients transferred to Wolfson Children's Hospital's new Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower.

The new tower also houses a neonatal MRI machine that Aubin said is just one of four in the world. There's no clanging or banging noises, and medical staff and parents can see the baby's face for signs of distress via a camera.

"This will save kids' lives," Aubin said, "because we will identify early things we never saw before."

Another distinctive feature of the new tower: A changing, nightly display of art, a combination of animation and live-action based on nature scenes, that will light up a 33-by-88½-foot reflective panel on the tower's south-facing wall.

It will light up each night after sunset, then shift at 10:30 p.m. to what the hospital calls a more subtle display for the rest of the night. Made by Jacksonville's Castano Group, it's called "Reflections of Hope."

"We hope this display allows patients, families and passersby to see health care in a welcoming light," Aubin said in a statement.

Most of Wolfson's young patients come from Savannah, Ga., to the north, Daytona Beach to the south and Dothan, Ala., to the west. The hospital takes care of injured or sick children, and newborns, including some less than a pound in weight.

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The first patients transferred to the new tower, on Feb. 22, were newborn triplet girls born to Erika and Armando Lamas, all weighing over 3 pounds at birth. Their daughter Ellie went home March 7, while Camila went home March 10.

Erika Lamas shows a picture of her daughter, Aria, a triplet born at Wolfson Children's Hospital. The children were the first to be transferred to the new Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower. Aria's sisters have gone home already, and Lamas hopes that Aria will be able to join them soon.
Erika Lamas shows a picture of her daughter, Aria, a triplet born at Wolfson Children's Hospital. The children were the first to be transferred to the new Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower. Aria's sisters have gone home already, and Lamas hopes that Aria will be able to join them soon.

"They're doing great. They're chunky. They're having fun. They love to cuddle together," said Erika Lamas, 25, a medical corpsman at Naval Air Station Jacksonville who's from San Bernadino, Calif.

However, her daughter Aria is still at Wolfson recovering from surgery for blood clots that were causing seizures and bleeding in the brain. She's doing well though and will one day be able to join her sisters at home. "I hope no more longer than a month," Lamas said. "That's what I'm hoping for."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Wolfson and Baptist hospitals open latest expansion