World-Class Pediatrics in Eastern North Carolina

The new James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital was born out of a need recognized by Vidant Medical Center to provide world-class pediatric care in eastern North Carolina. Situated on the center’s main campus, the new facility is designed as a sophisticated, yet playful health environment using the latest medical technologies and best practices.

Designing A Child-Friendly Care Environment

The architectural style of the building’s exterior helps create an overall brand identity and sets the tone for the interior architecture and detailing by creating a streamlined and unified design. As patients approach, the building’s curvilinear design, blue glass panels and tensile fabric canopy resemble a boat gliding through the water. The environment transforms into an under-the-sea theme when the child enters the new portal. Each room is personalized by color and pattern to create individualized spaces. Throughout, visuals and tactile interactions engage the senses with a touch of whimsy suitable for the youngest of patients to adolescents and teenagers. The art program provides positive distractions with the use of aquariums, donor wall fish art, stone materials with embedded fossils and seashells and LED interactive lights.

The patient floors feature a 24-bed configuration with appropriate support space and family areas. Acuity adaptable patient rooms have patient, caregiver and family zones. Same-handed rooms create a safe patient environment with reduced medical errors.

The new facility eliminates silos of care that previously existed when children’s services were located in disjointed areas within an adult facility. The design fosters a culture committed to new ways of delivering care to ensure quality and improve patient safety. Many innovative features resulted from constant collaboration on the part of all stakeholders. Hospital administration and staff communicated their vision for the new hospital, while pediatric patients and their families also provided insightful and valuable perspectives on their experiences.