Heroes On Hand For Children's Hospital Expansion Groundbreaking

Courtesy of Connecticut Children's

HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut Children's officials managed to secure some big names recently when it broke ground on its latest expansion at its Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

How big? Only the first Avenger, Captain America, was there, among other superheroes.

Connecticut Children’s team members, patient families and leaders joined together for a superhero-themed groundbreaking ceremony last Friday to celebrate the launch of the next phase of the health system’s growth and expansion plan.

That phase is construction of a 190,000-square-foot, $326 million clinical tower on the front lawn and connected to the existing medical center, located at 282 Washington St., Hartford. Completion is scheduled for late 2025.

The clinical tower will include two floors with 50 private neonatal intensive care rooms; a fetal care center with six labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms; and two dedicated operating rooms and an advanced gene therapy unit where bone marrow transplants and liquid radiation treatments can be performed.

“Today’s groundbreaking of our new clinical tower is not just a brick-and-mortar investment in Hartford and Connecticut, it’s a reflection of our commitment to children and part of a series of investments that will benefit patient families and the broader community,” said Jim Shmerling, president and chief executive officer, Connecticut Children’s.

“Connecticut Children’s is proud to be a member of the Hartford community. And through our investment into the region and state, we will not only provide excellent clinical care, but also drive the local economy by creating more jobs, bringing training to the next generation of medical professionals and reinforcing Connecticut as a destination for care in the country.”

Adding to the significance of the day, the groundbreaking was held on the 10th anniversary of the health system’s beloved superhero day.

It is a day where patients, families, team members and supporters of Connecticut Children’s dress as their favorite superhero as a reminder of their strength, courage and bravery.

“I can’t think of a better way to officially kick off the start of this project than with all of our superheroes here,” said Bob Duncan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Connecticut Children’s. “It certainly takes superhero strength and vision to build the future of children’s health.”

The construction manager for the project is DPR Construction.

Many of the design and construction team members involved in the project participated in the ground-breaking by wearing their favorite superhero costume and joining in on the theme and the fun.

CannonDesign is the architect for the expansion.

For more information on Connecticut Children's, click on this link.