The newly opened Guerin Children’s pediatric medical surgical inpatient unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles advances an ambitious vision for the future of children’s healthcare. Combining advanced clinical care, leading-edge pediatric research and forward-looking physician education and training for the benefit of children of all ages and their families, the new Guerin Children’s seeks to fill a critical gap in care for young patients in Los Angeles and beyond.

The 26-bed unit delivers highly specialized medical care for its patients, including neonatology, maternal-fetal medicine, gastroenterology, cardiac services, orthopedics, neurology, pediatric surgery, and kidney transplants. Amenities include a playroom, a game room, interactive technology, and a family reception and waiting area. Staff workspaces include large nurse stations with collaborative areas for teaming, a conference room, a large staff lounge and respite rooms to provide a staff-focused work environment as well as support advanced medical education. 

Patients receive their own room painted in one of three select colors that start as a ribbon of bands down the corridor and continue into private rooms. In line with Guerin Children’s values of nurturing and sensitivity, each patient room is a “safe zone,” meaning no treatment or procedures occur in the rooms themselves. Each room is furnished with a full pullout bed as well as a reclining chair that lies flat so two caregivers can comfortably stay overnight with their child-patient. Also included are monitors for video calls to loved ones that can also be used for patients’ schooling, to watch TV, or to display artwork. Tablets in each room allow patients to order food and control interior lighting that can be customized to a color of their choice, projecting onto the street below. 

State-of-the-art technology is infused throughout the entirety of common spaces. A full-wall interactivity screen in the large family reception and lobby waiting area allows for multi-player games that are animated by users with motion-sensing technology. In the playroom, an additional screen offers more interactive games and the ability for young patients to play with digital stickers. In the game room, a theatre-like environment offers video games and movie screenings.

Hallway walls display digital artwork created by patients and professional artists. The walls can host character animations, which sense movement and “walk” alongside patients down the hallway to put them at ease. The walls also provide a physical separation between the arrival and waiting areas and the patient corridor, so that hospital elements that may overwhelm children are not seen immediately upon entry.

The incorporation of biophilia is a critical component of patient wellbeing. Three large ceiling lighting fixtures, installed at major intersections in the unit, mimic natural skylights and are timed to brighten and darken as the sun rises and sets, offering a sense of daylighting that is often mistaken for a true skylight. 

An outdoor Healing Garden provides a peaceful respite away from technology with sufficient space and clearance for a hospital bed, so all patients can experience the quiet and serenity of the outdoors.