East Tennessee Children's Hospital Emergency Department Renovation

Since 1937, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (ETCH) has served as the region’s only pediatric hospital, providing care for children throughout the Southeast. The Emergency Department sees over 60,000 injured and sick children every year. To accommodate a growing pediatric care population, ETCH identified a need to renovate their existing Emergency Department to increase efficiency, improve patient flow, and update aging interior spaces. Located within Knoxville’s urban center, ETCH has little room to accommodate new construction projects. The only viable option for the improvement of the Emergency Department was an intensive, multi-phase renovation. The completed enhancements include dedicated trauma rooms, exam rooms with enhanced privacy features, sensory-sensitive rooms, behavioral health, a relocated ambulance bay, and separate patient intake and exit areas. The new lobby provides patients and families with ample daylight, access to exterior views, play areas, updated & comfortable seating options, a vibrant and engaging interior, and separate waiting for sick & well patients. The ED exterior updates the existing 1970’s brown brick façade and provides a clearly identifiable patient entry & drop-off. Throughout the planning process, members of the ETCH Family Advisory Council (parents of ETCH patients) provided input to help ensure a patient focused & family friendly design outcome. The largest challenge to the project was to successfully renovate the existing Emergency Department in-place while it continued to provide patient care during construction. The renovation was divided into 8 phases and involved the careful coordination of the general contractor, designers, and hospital staff.