Madison Reporter

American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, is set to expand its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and introduce a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) to meet increasing demand. The expansion will utilize the vacant sixth floor of the hospital, adding 24 new beds—14 for medical surgical pediatric intensive care and 10 for cardiac intensive care.

The hospital's president, Nikki Stafford, emphasized the importance of this expansion due to the facility's status as one of only two Level I Pediatric Trauma Centers in Wisconsin. "This expansion is essential to enable us to meet the needs of children with the most critical and complex medical needs," Stafford stated.

Currently, American Family Children’s Hospital faces capacity challenges. In 2023 alone, more than 100 children needing PICU care were turned away due to a lack of available beds. "One patient turned away is too many," said Stafford.

The demand for pediatric specialty care has increased across various areas such as cancer, neurosciences, transplant services, and notably heart care. Over recent years, there has been a significant rise in cardiac patients—46% overall and a 23% increase in inpatient surgical cases. This necessitates additional cardiac intensive beds as around 60% of current PICU occupancy involves cardiac care patients.

With these expansions incorporating national best practices for CICUs, UW Health Kids aims to remain at the forefront of pediatric cardiac care. "It is clear our expertise is in demand," remarked Stafford on the necessity for these changes.

Funding for this $33 million project comes from philanthropic contributions including $5 million from Fred and Debbie Schwartz and $10 million from American Family Insurance. Construction is expected to commence in 2026 with completion projected by late 2027.