Lehi, Utah, Feb. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The first three patients at the new Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Campus in Lehi were welcomed with cheers and applause from about 400 caregivers preparing to care for patients on a historic opening day for pediatric care in Utah.
The opening of the second campus of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital marks the most significant boost in children’s healthcare delivery in the Intermountain West in more than 100 years, when the hospital was founded in Salt Lake City.
“The new facility is beautiful. It’s amazing, with the windows, the view, and the patio. It’s going to be awesome for Kylee and all the other kids to be able to take advantage of its location,” said Danielle Jackson, mother of Kylee Jackson, one of the first patients cared for at the new hospital. “We’re closer to home, and it will help her feel like she’s not missing out on school, field trips and activities as much.”
The first three patients have been traveling to the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake Campus to receive monthly infusion treatments to help them continue to grow and thrive. The Miller Family Campus’ Infusion Center opened for one day before the grand opening to give them the treatments they needed, closer to home.
The first patients are:
– Kaylee Rasmussen, 11. Kaylee enjoys competitive dance and gymnastics. She has been receiving monthly infusions since she was 2 years old for myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the communication between the nerves and muscles.
Kaylee looks up to the nurses who help her stay healthy and active. One day, she wants to become a pediatric infusion nurse.
“She’s got lots and lots of training so far as a ‘professional patient,’” laughed her mom, Cassie Rasmussen.
– Kylee Jackson, 12. Kylee is a twin who loves to be with friends and make new ones. She’s spunky, enjoys the arts, and is part of her school’s peer-support HOPE Squad. She is being treated for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disorders (MOGAD), which affects the optic nerve and central nervous system.
She, too, wants to be a pediatric nurse when she grows up.
“She’s brave and full of courage,” said her mother. “This has been a journey, but one where everyone’s grown stronger because of it. I’m so incredibly proud of her.”
– Marissa Kauffman, 14. Marissa is the youngest of eight children, and enjoys cooking, making crafts, track, basketball, and especially soccer. She receives treatment for ulcerative colitis, joint pain, and primary sclerosing cholangitis, which damages the liver and bile ducts, and eventually will require a liver transplant.
Marissa enjoys studying biology and math, and wants to become a pediatric nurse.
“Being a first patient at the new Primary Children’s campus has been such a fun experience for Marissa,” said Tara Kauffman, her mother. “We’re blessed we got to have this opportunity. Everyone at the new campus has been so amazing to work with!”
The new Miller Family Campus is a full-service children’s hospital providing nearly all the same specialty pediatric services that patients receive at the Salt Lake Campus.
It includes the Outpatient Center, a trauma center and Life Flight helipad, a medical office building, and a five-story, 66-bed, 486,000-square-foot Primary Children’s Hospital.
Medical staff will be fully integrated with the pediatric specialists at University of Utah Health, who will continue to work collaboratively with Primary Children’s caregivers at the Salt Lake Campus to provide the highest level of pediatric care to patients.
“As we were preparing to open the Miller Family Campus, we were intentional about keeping ‘The Child First and Always’ when creating an environment that’s not only medically advanced, but a warm, nurturing sanctuary of healing, hope and comfort,” said Lisa Paletta, president of the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Miller Family Campus.
“The care teams that we’ve recruited to help our young patients are among the most skilled and compassionate in the nation. I’m so proud to stand with them as we honor our first three patients – and the thousands more we will care for in the years to come,” Paletta added.
The Miller Family Campus is part of Intermountain Health’s Primary Promise to build the nation’s model health system for children. This transformative, multi-faceted plan requires a minimum investment of $600 million in children’s health, shared by Intermountain Health and community philanthropic support.
To learn how you can support Primary Promise, visit PrimaryPromise.org or contact foundation@imail.org.
For more information about the new Miller Family Campus in Lehi, visit primarychildrens.org/lehi.
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