State Approves Boston Children's Hospital Expansion Plans
Boston Children’s Hospital has obtained the go-ahead from the Department of Public Health’s Public Health Council for a $1B expansion, with 10 members of the council voting for it, and one abstaining. There's considerable opposition to the plan, especially because it would be built over a garden where the remains of children who died in the hospital have been scattered for decades (Prouty Garden), the Boston Business Journal reports. Opponents have taken the matter to court, so the project faces delays.
The project will involve the construction of a new 11-story clinical tower in Longwood, the redevelopment of a property in Brookline for an outpatient center, and renovation of existing buildings on the Boston campus. There are conditions to the approval, especially that Children’s has to demonstrate that the new patients who will occupy the additional 71 beds are coming from out of state. [BBJ]
