Expanded Children's And Medical Unit Opened At Loudoun Hospital

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — To meet growing health care needs in the community, Inova Loudoun Hospital opened its new children's and medical units Friday.

The 42,000-square-foot expansion on the sixth floor of the hospital's north tower serves adult and pediatric patients. It has 48 private rooms — 36 medical and surgical beds and 12 pediatric beds. Six other rooms can be used for pediatric patients overflow when needed. It will officially open to patients on Jan. 22.

Susan Carroll, the president of Inova Loudoun Hospital and a senior vice president at Inova Health System, noted Inova Loudoun and Inova Fairfax Hospitals are the only two hospitals between Loudoun County and Richmond providing pediatric inpatient units.

"Hence the reason why we need to continue to grow not just from the population that we serve in Loudoun County but also because we are a referral center for many other counties for their pediatric patients," said Carroll.

Carroll said the sixth floor was designed with priorities of patient care, safety and comfort. Three of the adult medical and surgical rooms are designated as "patient safer" rooms, as well as two of the children's unit rooms. Medical and surgical rooms are designed with concealed overhead patient lifts. The children's unit provides a children's activity room with interactive games and home to the child-life program.

Another goal of the new sixth floor is to provide spaces that help retain employees, according to Carroll. The medical and surgical unit and children's unit each have four nurse stations. Patient rooms provide OneView patient experience and digital information and has Caregility telemedicine capabilities.

"If a team member is working in a place where they feel they have the resources, it's a comfortable place to work, they have access to the technology they need and we can unburden their work with technology the best way possible, then our team members don't leave us," said Carroll.

Dr. B. Jill McCabe, who is medical director of pediatric emergency and hospitalist services, noted Inova made plans for a pediatric emergency department when it took over the Louduoun Hospital two decades ago. She noted a changing trend in 2020 when the number of pediatric patients dropped. Because there was a greater need for adult care, McCabe said the hospital used the pediatric unit to provide additional critical care space. That led the pediatric unit to return to an old space, but Inova was still working to provide a new space for pediatric patients.

"Our pediatric ER volumes are at record levels. The kids are back. They need our care," said McCabe. "Inova's responding by building this beautiful unit."