Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital updates plans, renderings for new Tacoma campus

Revised plan adds ambulatory services and urgent care, decouples hospital from existing outpatient center

Tacoma, Wash. – Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, the only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Western Washington, today unveiled changes to the design of its $415 million Tacoma construction project. Originally targeted for completion in late 2024, the campus is now slated to open for patient care in early 2026.

By reallocating space from the planned inpatient tower to a new ambulatory building, Mary Bridge Children’s is creating a pediatric-focused medical campus that not only provides better access to care for patients, but also creates opportunities for future growth.

The campus will include the new inpatient hospital tower and an ambulatory building featuring specialty clinics and urgent care services. The new buildings will be detached from the hospital’s existing outpatient center. The entrance for both acute and emergency services will be a single covered drop-off point accessible from Martin Luther King Jr Way, providing easy access for pedestrians, vehicles and Sound Transit Hilltop Tacoma Link light rail riders.

“Our vision is to be the Pacific Northwest’s highest value system of care for kids,” said Jeff Poltawsky, president and market leader of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Network. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt every part of health care, including staffing and global supply chain issues. We took this time to reassess our master plans for this once-in-a-generation opportunity and implemented additional feedback from physicians, staff and community members, as well as adjusted designs to reflect trends in medicine such as bringing more services into the outpatient space. While this delay is unfortunate, we’re confident that it is the best way to improve access to care for the thousands of children who rely on us for their medical needs.”

Major updates to the project and timeline include:

• Adjusted timeline for project completion, from late 2024 to early 2026.
• Creation of an ambulatory building featuring specialty clinics, urgent care and behavioral health crisis management services. Construction to begin mid-2024.
• Reduction in inpatient hospital square footage, from 300,000 to 250,000. Construction to begin mid-2023.
• Reduction in new parking spots from 1,100 to 800 (450 for staff and 350 for patients and visitors). Construction to begin mid-2023.

Mary Bridge Children’s has partnered with CBRE for project management, ESa (Earl Swensson Associates, Nashville) and TGB Architects (Edmonds, Wash.) for architecture and design, and WSP USA (Dallas) for Building Engineering Services, SDG (Nashville) for structural engineering, AHBL (Tacoma, Wash.) for civil engineering/landscape design, and Layton Construction (Salt Lake City) and Abbott Construction (Tacoma, Wash.) for construction of the new hospital.

Additional information about the project, including locations of services and specific campus features, will be announced as it becomes available.

About Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital

Founded in 1955, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital is the state-designated Level II Pediatric Trauma Center for Western Washington, offering comprehensive care and resources for critically ill and injured children, and is the only pediatric hospital in Southwest Washington. Mary Bridge Children’s also provides primary, specialty and urgent care services at its outpatient centers and clinics across the South Sound, including Tacoma, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Olympia, Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Bonney Lake and Poulsbo.

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network is more than a place for children to heal. It’s a place for them to grow and thrive. A place for families to come for solutions and support. A place where medical expertise and passion for children and families work together in perfect balance. Mary Bridge Children’s serves children and families, regardless of ability to pay, thanks to generous contributions to the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation.

Mary Bridge Children’s is a part of MultiCare Health System, a community-focused, not-for-profit health system based in Tacoma, Wash. For more information about Mary Bridge Children’s, visit marybridge.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or our Kite Strings blog.

About Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation

The Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation supports uncompensated care and clinical and community programs not covered by insurance for patients and families at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, Wash. Mary Bridge Children’s serves more than 300,000 children each year. More than half of the families served at Mary Bridge Children’s are low-income, and more than 60 percent of families are on Medicaid.

Generous donations to the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation allow the hospital to expand access to care so all children can receive the care they need. The Mary Bridge Brigade is the largest and oldest donor and, throughout its more than 100-year history, has donated in excess of $50 million to Mary Bridge Children’s, including a $10 million commitment to the new children’s hospital.

Donor-supported programs and services made possible by the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation include mobile immunization clinics, child life services, Helping Hands and more. Learn more about opportunities to give or get involved by visiting supportmarybridge.org.