On Wednesday, July 24, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach broke ground on an 80,000 sq. ft., four story building named the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village. When complete in 2021, the Children’s Village will give patients and their families access to pediatric doctors in more than 36 specialties, including cardiology, oncology and more, as well as a range of services, such as a laboratory, pharmacy, imaging and rehabilitation gyms, all in one location.
To mark this momentous milestone for children’s health care in the region, Miller Children’s & Women’s was joined by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and Long Beach Vice Mayor Dee Andrews.
“Right now, Miller Children’s & Women’s has clinics across the city of Long Beach that offer lifesaving services,” says Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. “To bring all of these specialty clinics under one roof in this location, on top of the other services already located at the hospital, will be something incredibly special for the families across our greater community.”
“In addition, it provides opportunities for the hospital to reimagine the space currently being used for these clinics to further improve care. We’re very excited as a community, as Long Beach, to break ground for the Children’s Village,” says Mayor Garcia.
For many children, medical care doesn’t end when they leave the hospital. Patients will be seen at the Children’s Village for a variety of reasons — from a one-time consultation to follow-up care for a wide range of health conditions requiring specialized pediatric care.
“Each year, we treat 65,000 children in our outpatient specialty centers across the region,” says John Bishop, CEO, Miller Children’s & Women’s. “We anticipate that number to grow by about 20 percent in our first five years. As one of eight free-standing children’s hospitals in California it is our mission to fulfill the unique health care needs of the children in the communities we serve, and the Children’s Village will do exactly that.”
To realize the vision for the Children’s Village, in August 2018, the Miller Children’s & Women’s Foundation embarked on a $60 million philanthropic campaign to support the capital and programmatic needs of the project.
“We have been humbled by the early generosity and passion of our community for the Children’s Village,” says Sharon Thornton, president, Miller Children’s & Women’s Foundation. “In less than a year, I’m proud to share that we have raised more than $30 million in total commitments, putting us past the half-way mark toward our ambitious goal.”
A portion of the success can be attributed to a recent transformational gift from the Cherese Mari Laulhere Foundationto name the Children’s Village and provide program support.
“Each and every gift will allow us to move one step closer to providing a new level of care for our children who need it most,” says Thornton.
To learn more about opportunities to support this groundbreaking, state-of-the-art building and specialized care for thousands of children across the region, visit millerchildrens.org/Village.
