Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Unveils New Pediatric Emergency Department and PICU

In a momentous stride for pediatric healthcare across Indiana, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent has recently unfurled the doors to its significantly expanded Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) and a revitalized Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). This isn’t just an upgrade, it’s a testament to unwavering community spirit and a deep commitment to our state’s most vulnerable patients, a vision brought to life following the hugely successful ‘Care for Tomorrow’ fundraising campaign, which netted an incredible $48 million, and then some, to fuel these vital enhancements.

Think about it, you know, when a child needs emergency care, every second truly counts. The environment, the expertise, the technology – it all plays a pivotal role in those critical moments. This expansion isn’t just adding beds; it’s about elevating the entire experience for children and their families during what can often be the scariest times of their lives. We’re talking about state-of-the-art facilities designed not only for cutting-edge medical intervention but also with a profound understanding of a child’s unique emotional and developmental needs. That’s a huge win for everyone.

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The ‘Care for Tomorrow’ Campaign: A Vision Realized Through Collective Heart

The ‘Care for Tomorrow’ campaign wasn’t simply a fundraising initiative; it was a rallying cry for better maternal and infant healthcare across Indiana, an ambitious undertaking spearheaded by none other than former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning. His charisma and dedication, naturally, drew significant attention, but it was the profound community response that truly made the difference. The campaign’s success, a testament to what we can achieve when we come together, reached its zenith with a special celebration right there at the hospital, honoring the legion of generous donors, tireless healthcare leaders, and countless community members who quite literally built this future.

It was an afternoon filled with a palpable sense of accomplishment, one you could almost feel buzzing in the air. Imagine the cheers as they unveiled a stunning statue honoring Peyton Manning for his extraordinary leadership and unwavering commitment. That statue, a symbol of inspiration for countless kids, now stands as a permanent reminder of his impact, and the collective generosity he helped orchestrate. Following that, a heartwarming ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opened the doors to the newly relocated and expanded Hilbert Pediatric Emergency Department and the much-anticipated Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. You really felt like you were witnessing history unfold, didn’t you?

The campaign’s reach, however, extended far beyond these two critical units. It really aimed to transform the entire ecosystem of care for Hoosier mothers and infants, including significant contributions towards the Women and Children’s Tower, a comprehensive facility designed to offer integrated care from birth through adolescence. This holistic approach recognized that the health of a child begins long before they enter the world, truly embracing a continuum of care that supports families every step of the way.

Generosity That Transcends: Honoring the Donors

When you talk about monumental projects like this, you’re not just talking about bricks and mortar; you’re talking about the generosity of individuals and organizations who believe deeply in a cause. The ‘Care for Tomorrow’ campaign saw an incredible outpouring of support, highlighting the powerful ripple effect philanthropy creates in our communities. Of course, Peyton and Ashley Manning were instrumental, not just in their leadership but also through their significant personal contribution, setting a powerful example. Their commitment, you can just tell, stems from a genuine place of wanting the best for children.

Then you have giants like the Lucas Family, whose long-standing dedication to Indianapolis’s well-being is legendary, and Jim Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts, whose community involvement consistently lifts spirits and provides crucial resources. Even personalities like Pat McAfee, with his infectious energy, galvanized support in his unique way. Visionary leaders like Jacqueline and David Simon, alongside corporate partners such as CareSource and the CareSource Foundation, stepped up with substantial gifts. And, very poignantly, the campaign received significant support from Barbara Hasler Warren, honoring a memory, which truly underscores the deeply personal connection many donors feel to children’s health. These aren’t just names on a list; they represent hundreds, even thousands, of individuals and entities, each contributing to a shared dream. They made it clear that investing in our children’s health isn’t just good medicine; it’s good for our collective future.

Redefining Pediatric Emergency Care: A Deeper Look at the Hilbert Pediatric ED

The expanded Hilbert Pediatric Emergency Department, now a bustling hub of compassionate care, boasts an impressive 22 total care spaces. This isn’t just about raw numbers, though; it’s about the thoughtful design and specialized environments within those spaces, each tailored to a child’s unique needs during an emergency. It’s truly a marvel of modern pediatric emergency medicine, you see.

• Two Trauma Rooms: These aren’t your typical ER bays. They are purpose-built fortresses of rapid response, packed with the latest medical technology. Imagine a child brought in after an accident; these rooms are optimized for immediate, life-saving interventions. The state-of-the-art equipment includes, for instance, red access lighting. Ever struggled to find a tiny vein on a scared, dehydrated child? This specialized lighting illuminates veins beneath the skin, making IV access and blood draws significantly easier, quicker, and less traumatic. This small detail, believe me, makes a huge difference in high-stress situations, ensuring precious seconds aren’t lost and reducing a child’s discomfort.

• Two Sensory Rooms: This is where the hospital’s understanding of child psychology truly shines. For children who might be overstimulated, anxious, or have conditions like autism spectrum disorder, the typical hustle and bustle of an ED can be terrifying. These sensory rooms offer a sanctuary. They feature adjustable lighting, calming projections, soft textures, and quiet spaces, all designed to create a predictable and soothing environment. A child might find comfort in the gentle glow of a fiber-optic light wall or the weighted blanket, helping to de-escalate anxiety and allowing healthcare providers to assess them more effectively without exacerbating their distress. It’s about reducing stress, improving cooperation, and ultimately, making their overall hospital experience less frightening.

• Two Comfort-Focused Procedure Rooms: Medical tests can be scary, especially for kids. These rooms are crafted to help children feel at ease before procedures like MRIs, which often require them to remain still for extended periods. The environment utilizes calming colors, engaging visual distractions, and often includes child life specialists who employ therapeutic play and preparation techniques. Picture a mural on the ceiling, or a tablet showing a favorite cartoon, anything to divert attention and foster a sense of security. Minimizing pre-procedure anxiety doesn’t just make the experience better; it can also improve compliance and even reduce the need for sedation, which is always a plus, right?

• Two Behavioral Health Rooms: In an era where mental health challenges are increasingly prevalent among youth, these rooms address a critical need. Thoughtfully designed, these spaces prioritize the safety of children experiencing mental distress while healthcare providers conduct assessments and formulate the best course of action. They feature break-resistant fixtures, secure furniture, and an environment that minimizes potential harm, allowing for a calm yet secure setting. The staff in these rooms receive specialized training in de-escalation techniques and trauma-informed care, ensuring children receive sensitive and appropriate support during acute behavioral health crises. It’s truly heartbreaking to see a child in such distress, and these rooms ensure they get the specific, protective care they need.

This expansion firmly cements Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital’s position as one of Indiana’s largest pediatric emergency departments, significantly boosting its capacity to serve children from every corner of the state. What’s more, the facility holds the esteemed designation of a verified Level I Pediatric and Adult Trauma Center. This means they are equipped to handle the most severe injuries in both children and adults, allowing entire families to receive comprehensive care on one campus. And don’t forget, it also includes a Pediatric and Adult Burn Center, providing direct, specialized access to highly technical burn care. This integrated approach really makes a huge difference when you’re managing complex medical situations for entire families.

On a softer, yet equally impactful note, the integration of origami animal visuals throughout the department stands out. You’ll see them in artwork, guiding you through wayfinding, and even as activities in the waiting rooms. This isn’t just decoration; it’s a subtle, ingenious strategy to support anxiety reduction and mindfulness for children and their families. It’s a thoughtful touch that really underscores the holistic approach to healing here.

Advancements in Pediatric Intensive Care: A Sanctuary for Critical Needs

The newly expanded Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) marks another giant leap forward, increasing its capacity and specialized capabilities. We’re talking about a unit designed to care for the sickest of the sick, offering a highly specialized environment where critical care is delivered with precision and compassion.

• Eight New ICU Beds: This addition brings the total to a robust 22 beds. For a critical care unit, this isn’t just about quantity; it’s about the ability to accommodate more critically ill children, reducing transfer times from other facilities and ensuring immediate access to life-saving interventions. This increased capacity also helps alleviate the immense pressure on regional healthcare systems, ensuring that no child in need of intensive care is left waiting.

• New Rooms Dedicated to Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care: This is a particularly exciting development, showcasing the hospital’s commitment to cutting-edge subspecialty care. These rooms are primarily dedicated to supporting the growing pediatric heart program, providing highly specialized care for the tiniest heart patients—newborns and infants often facing complex congenital heart defects. These babies require an incredibly delicate balance of medical expertise, advanced monitoring, and highly specialized equipment. While these rooms have a primary focus, they maintain the flexibility to meet the full spectrum of PICU needs, meaning they can adapt to other critical cases if necessary, ensuring optimal resource utilization.

• Fully Equipped for Life-Saving Emergency Bedside Surgeries: The ability to perform emergency surgeries right there in the PICU is a game-changer. When every second truly counts, eliminating the need to transport a critically unstable child to an operating room elsewhere in the hospital can be the difference between life and death. These rooms are fitted with specialized lighting, surgical instrumentation, and all the necessary support systems, enabling immediate surgical interventions for conditions like acute appendicitis, severe trauma, or complex airway emergencies. It speaks volumes about the level of preparedness and the multidisciplinary expertise available at a moment’s notice.

• Two Negative Pressure Isolation Rooms: In today’s healthcare landscape, infection control is paramount, and these rooms are critical for safeguarding patients, families, and caregivers. Designed to prevent the spread of airborne contaminants, these rooms maintain a lower air pressure than adjacent areas, meaning air flows into the room but cannot escape without passing through a specialized filtration system. This makes them essential for isolating patients with highly contagious infections, preventing outbreaks, and providing a safer environment for everyone within the PICU, a lesson we’ve all learned so acutely in recent years.

• State-of-the-Art Equipment and Expert Team: Each patient room in the PICU features operating booms, for instance, which are ceiling-mounted systems that deliver gases, electrical power, and data connections directly to the patient’s bedside, keeping the floor clear of clutter and improving workflow efficiency. Optimized lighting, crucial for clinical assessment and procedures, and top-tier resources further enhance the capabilities of the expert multidisciplinary team. This isn’t just a collection of machines; it’s a carefully orchestrated environment supported by a dedicated team of pediatric intensivists, specialized critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, child life specialists, and social workers, all working in seamless concert. Their collective expertise and tireless dedication are truly the heart of the PICU.

Community Support: A Legacy of Care and a Bright Future

The resounding success of the ‘Care for Tomorrow’ campaign, culminating in these breathtaking expansions, unequivocally underscores the extraordinary impact of philanthropy in shaping the future of healthcare for Hoosier mothers, infants, and families. It’s more than just providing medical services; it’s about building a robust, compassionate safety net for our youngest and most vulnerable, isn’t it? The generous donors, whose names we highlighted earlier, have played an absolutely pivotal role in advancing patient-centered care that truly extends beyond traditional medical services. You really can’t overstate their impact.

Their support has enabled the creation of holistic, spiritually centered programs that elevate both outcomes and experiences for those served by Ascension St. Vincent. What does ‘holistic’ actually mean in this context, you ask? It means recognizing that healing involves more than just medicine; it involves emotional support, spiritual care, child life programs that help kids cope with hospitalization through play, and resources for families struggling with the immense stress of a critically ill child. These programs, woven into the fabric of the hospital, contribute to better recovery, stronger family units, and a more compassionate healing journey. It’s about treating the whole person, and the whole family, not just the illness.

Looking ahead, with the completion of the ‘Care for Tomorrow’ campaign, Ascension St. Vincent confidently continues its profound mission: to provide compassionate, faith-based healthcare that stands as a beacon of hope. They are ensuring that all families—no matter their circumstances, socioeconomic status, or background—receive the specialized, high-quality care they undeniably deserve. This expansion, then, isn’t just about new rooms or advanced equipment; it’s about a renewed promise, a commitment to nurturing the future of Indiana, one healthy child at a time. It gives you a real sense of hope for our community, doesn’t it?

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References

• ‘Celebrating the Future of Care: Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent Unveils New Pediatric Emergency Department and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as Fundraising Campaign Concludes.’ Ascension. June 5, 2025. (about.ascension.org)

• ‘Ascension campaign for new Women and Children’s Tower reaches nearly $26M.’ Indianapolis Business Journal. November 2024. (ibj.com)

• ‘Care for Tomorrow.’ Ascension St. Vincent Foundation. (give.stvincent.org)

• ‘New and expanded pediatric emergency room enhances care for families across Indiana.’ Ascension. June 23, 2025. (healthcare.ascension.org)

• ‘Ascension opens $200M women and infants hospital in Indiana.’ Becker’s Hospital Review. October 29, 2024. (beckershospitalreview.com)