I had the privilege of attending an open house last night for our intensive feeding program.  This program, a collaboration with Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, provides intensive treatment for young children who are failing to thrive.  In many cases these children were on a feeding tube for years and literally had to relearn to eat.

I had seen the floor plans through many changes and revisions over the course of a year.  Nothing prepared me for the awe that I felt when I saw those floor plans come to life last night. 

Beautiful colors, space that supports the family experience (like napping rooms and a living room environment) and space that facilitates the staff's ability to provide the care, such as the viewing rooms next to each exam room are all part of the well coordinated design.

Seeing "graduates" of the program and their families at the open house made the importance of the space that much more real. 

This little glimpse of what new space can mean to families, caregivers and the community made me that much more excited about the opening of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.   We are not only building a children's hospital, but we are also building programs, like the Intensive Feeding Program, so that we can keep families and kids close to home.

397 days until we move into the new children's hospital!