Posted: 3/27/2015
Community invited to open house on April 11
On Sunday evening, March 29, Parkland Health & Hospital System will light the town purple as it prepares to celebrate the dedication of the new Parkland hospital. Lighted buildings throughout the city will switch from their signature green and red to “Parkland purple” in honor of Dallas’ premiere new public hospital.
The Bank of America Plaza, Reunion Tower, Hunt Oil Company, the Omni Hotel, 17Seventeen McKinney and the new Parkland are among the sites that will be lit in purple lights.
Dedication of the new 870-bed state-of-the-art facility – the largest hospital construction project in the nation – will take place at 10 a.m., Monday, March 30. More than 400 community leaders, faith-based representatives, elected officials and donors will join Parkland staff for the invitation-only event. The facility is scheduled to open for patient care on August 20.
“This is an historic day for healthcare in Dallas,” said Debbie D. Branson, chair of Parkland’s Board of Managers. “This facility is a testament to those taxpayers, donors and far-sighted leaders who believe in Parkland and its mission. Without their unwavering support, we would not be dedicating this hospital for our patients today and for generations to come.”
And in order for others to get a glimpse of the new Parkland before it opens to patients, a community open house will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 11. Dallas County residents are invited to take self-guided tours in four areas of the hospital – emergency/trauma, surgery, Women & Infants Specialty Health and an inpatient unit where the private patient rooms will be available for viewing. Weather permitting, the Wellness Garden will be open for casual strolls along the walkway that puts the “park” back in Parkland.
“For generations, Parkland has been at the forefront of public health care in America,” said Fred Cerise, MD, MPH, Parkland’s President & CEO. “The legacy of this institution is cemented as an innovator in providing quality care for the medically underserved, a leader in clinical expertise in specialties like burns and trauma, and as a pioneer of 21st century transformational care processes.”
The new Parkland is designed with the patient in mind. This patient-centered approach creates a healing environment with single patient rooms, windows and natural light as well as more space for family and visitors. An on-stage/off-stage model provides comfort, quiet and enhanced safety for the patient as well as efficiency for staff.