Children’s Wisconsin opens new Skywalk Building

The Skywalk Building, funded in part by Ladish Co. Foundation and the Jendusa family, was designed to improve and expand family access to emergency services by relocating the emergency entrance to the front of the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital, and expand the services available for patients and families. The building features:

• 50 treatment rooms, including two rooms designed to better support mental and behavioral health needs, and two advanced trauma and resuscitation rooms.
• The Skywalk Pharmacy offers retail pharmaceutical services, which includes a “meds-to-beds” program for patients discharged from the hospital, specialized medication compounding and home delivery.
• Additional space that supports advanced imaging capabilities, which means the EDTC team will have access to CT, x-ray and ultrasound directly in the new space.
• The Transport Team, which provides specialized transport services for children and babies via ambulance, helicopter and fixed-wing airplane.

“The new Skywalk Building supports Children’s Wisconsin’s mission to make a positive and lasting impact on the health and well-being of our patients and their families,” said Amy Drendel, DO, interim section chief, pediatric emergency medicine, Children’s Wisconsin. “With this new, advanced EDTC facility, we can better provide the safest, highest-quality and most equitable care and services.”

The expansion was originally announced in 2018. At that time, Children’s Wisconsin kicked off a multi-year, $385 million facilities improvement project that supports the vision of having Wisconsin children be the healthiest in the nation. Children’s Wisconsin planned and budgeted for the capital improvements, including through the issuance of bond financing. Philanthropic support has influenced programs, services and amenities available in the new spaces. The project received $5 million in donations, with the Ladish Co. Foundation contributing $4 million and the Jendusa family donating $1 million. Portions of each gift helped include two rooms designed to better support mental and behavioral health needs. This special unit will be supported by the mental and behavioral health crisis team, which was established in 2021 thanks to a $2.5 million donation from the United Health Foundation.

About Children’s Wisconsin

Children’s Wisconsin is the region’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. The hospital, with locations in Milwaukee and Neenah, Wisconsin, is recognized as one of the leading pediatric health care centers in the United States. It is ranked among the top pediatric hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Children’s provides primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, mental and behavioral health care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. In 2021, Children’s invested more than $151 million in the community to improve the health status of children through medical care, advocacy, education and pediatric medical research. Children’s achieves its mission in part through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations and is proud to be a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.