This month we celebrated the ‘official’ unveiling of our newly expanded inpatient unit – the S.S. La Rabida.

This project represents a significant milestone in La Rabida’s commitment to providing critical medical services to children with complex medical conditions, chronic illnesses, and rehabilitation needs. The investment also underscores our dedication to ensuring that every child receives the highest quality of care in a compassionate and family-friendly environment, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

In the last few years, we’ve seen the level of medical complexity among our patients increase along with the overall demand for comprehensive care for children living with complex and chronic conditions. This redesign allows us to meet the growing demands we’re seeing in the community – now and well into the future.

Known as the S.S. La Rabida for its nautical theme, the entire second floor has been redesigned into one connected inpatient space. Other details include:

• Increased Bed Capacity: Five new cabins (patient rooms) have been added to the unit, allowing us to accommodate more children and their families. And, as always, every cabin has a view of either Lake Michigan or Jackson Harbor.
• Integrated Technology: The expansion includes the integration of updated technology and equipment in all cabins to support the hospital's staff in providing the highest standards of care.
• Dedicated Inpatient Playroom: One of the project’s guiding principles was to support ways for patients to be out of their rooms. To that end, the unit now has a dedicated playroom that was precisely designed to accommodate the healthcare and developmental needs of our patient population. This in-unit play space provides easy access to play and therapy space to all patients.
• Family-Centered Care: In an effort to enhance comfort for families, the updated unit offers a brighter, more welcoming environment and relaxing spaces for patients and families to ensure they feel comfortable and supported throughout their child's stay.
• Collaborative Care: Staff workspaces have been reimagined to allow care teams to easily collaborate between clinical disciplines, including a new and improved staff lounge.

This has been a unique project, because we had to continue delivering patient care so close to construction. But the La Rabida team, along with the architects and construction and project management teams, made it happen. A labor of love for all involved, we are thrilled to be able to offer this space to our patients.