- September 1935 ... After more than a year of effort by Dr. Jarrell Penn, orthopedic surgeon, working with Henry Galbraith and Oscar Schwarzenburg, Sr., the Knox County Crippled Children's Association was incorporated.
- September 1935 ... The Knox County Quarterly Court appropriated $7,500 to match Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds for the establishment of a Crippled Children's Hospital.
- April 1936 ... Fort Sanders Training School donated land to Knox County for the Crippled Children's Hospital.
- May 1936 ... The Tennessee Department of Public Health (Crippled Children's Services) established clinics on street level.
- March 1937 ... Knox County Crippled Children's Hospital opened at 1912 Laurel Avenue with 28 beds.
- October 1938 ... The county appropriated $10,000 to match $10,000 of WPA money to improve the existing Crippled Children's Hospital. (The WPA was established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration in the mid-1930s to undertake building and improvement projects to provide work for the unemployed during the Depression. WPA initially stood for Works Progress Administration, and later it was called the Work Projects Administration.)
- 1940 ... An educational program began under the direction of three specialized teachers at Crippled Children's Hospital. The program included a classroom for learning as well as an arts and crafts room, giving young patients a chance to be out of the wards.
- 1940s ... Because of admissions from outside Knox County, officials changed the name of the hospital to East Tennessee Crippled Children's Hospital, open to children birth through 21 years with any type of illness.
- May 1946 ... A $60,000 building and expansion drive was initiated to raise funds for renovations to existing structures.
- November 1951 ... A four-story wing addition was opened, and a second floor and basement were added to the original building. Total cost for the project exceeded $500,000.
- December 1955 ... Because of the advent of antibiotics and the polio vaccine, the need for specialized orthopedic services diminished. However, there was a pressing need for a specialty hospital to serve the area's younger patients. Because of this, East Tennessee Crippled Children's Hospital was officially renamed East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
- June 1964 ... East Tennessee Children's Hospital sought $2.5 million for a new hospital building.
- September 1964 ... The first minutes of the Children's Hospital Auxiliary were recorded. About 20 volunteers, under the leadership of founder and first president Anne Ragsdale Regas, comprised the group.
- June 1965 ... Plans for a new hospital were dropped, and a $1 million campaign was started to raise money for a hospital annex.
- February 1966 ... Plans for the annex were shelved after residents owning the property needed for the expansion did not want to sell.
- 1966 ... A Clinch Avenue site was selected for a new $2.5 million hospital.
- 1967 ... A funding drive for the new hospital began.
- June 1968 ... Ground was broken on Clinch Avenue for the new hospital.
- June 1970 ... Construction was completed on the new 74-bed East Tennessee Children's Hospital at 2018 Clinch Avenue.
- February 1975 ... The number of beds increased from 74 to 96 with the completion of a 22-bed fourth floor (the fourth floor had been shelled in at the time the Clinch Avenue hospital building was constructed).
- March 1975 ... The addition of an Intensive Care Nursery increased total beds at East Tennessee Children's Hospital to 122. In late 1975, the nursery suspended services.
- March 1975 ... A new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit opened.
- September 1976 ... A Short Stay Surgery Unit opened as a comprehensive one-day unit designed to reduce surgical costs for patients.
- February 1978 ... The first Child Life Department in Tennessee was established at East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
- August 1980 ... The Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery reopened.
- October 1981 ... The newly-constructed, 10,000-square-foot Emergency/Outpatient Department opened.
- May 1982 ... The Sunsphere opening at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville benefited Children's Hospital.
- Summer 1982 ... The first Camp Eagle's Nest summer camp was held for patients in the hematology and oncology clinic.
- 1982 ... Reconstructive and Pediatric Urology was added to the list of medical subspecialties at Children's.
- May 1983 ... The first Children's Hospital Telethon took place in cooperation with the Children's Miracle Network; the telethon was broadcast locally on WBIR-TV 10.
- September 1983 ... The Oliver William Hill, Jr., M.D., Pediatric Neurology Laboratory opened.
- October 1983 ... Ultrasound testing joined Children's Hospital's growing list of diagnostic technologies.
- January 1984 ... Children's Hospital began management of the East Tennessee Children's Rehabilitation Center.
- May 1984 ... The first Invitational Golf Tournament was conducted to benefit Children's Hospital's neurology laboratory.
- June 1984 ... The funds from the second Children's Miracle Network Telethon were designated for the purchase of a specially-equipped neonatal transport van called Lifeline.
- November 1985 ... Children's Hospital Inpatient Psychiatric Services (C.H.I.P.S.) opened.
- November 1985 ... The first "Fantasy of Trees," sponsored by the Auxiliary and the Development Council of East Tennessee Children's Hospital, was conducted at the Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center at the World's Fair Site. More than 13,100 guests attended, and the event raised more than $13,800 for the hospital. Volunteers worked an estimated 12,000 hours on the event, which featured about 60 designer items.
- June 1986 ... Construction began on a professional medical office building across the street from the hospital. The two structures were joined by a covered walkway across 21st Street.
- June 1986 ... Children's Hospital joined forces with MedFlight to provide the only air ambulance program in the region with specially-trained pediatric nurses on every flight.
- December 1986 ... The Children's Hospital Medical Office Building opened.
- February 1987 ... The Children's Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Laboratory opened.
- February 1987 ... Children's Hospital began performing CT scans.
- September 1987 ... During the celebration of its 50th anniversary, Children's Hospital announced plans for a major expansion.
- November 1988 ... An expansion and renovation project to add two floors to the patient tower and one to the administrative tower began.
- March 1989 ... Children's Hospital opened an office with specialty physicians at Fort Sanders West.
- August 1989 ... The Children's Neighborhood child care center opened with a capacity to serve 138 children.
- September 1989 ... Children's Hospital Inpatient Psychiatric Service added day patients and changed its name to Children's Hospital Intensive Psychiatric Services.
- March 1991 ... Children's Hospital purchased the Children's Lifeline, a mobile neonatal intensive care unit for transporting infants to the NICU at the hospital. At the time, the vehicle was the largest ambulance in the nation.
- April 1991 ... The Tennessee Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities approved Children's Hospital as a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center.
- May 1991 ... The hospital completed the expansion and renovation project begun in November 1988. In addition to adding 34,800 square feet of new space to the previous 114,334 gross square feet, the project included a renovation of 56,400 gross square feet of existing space. The number of beds remained 122.
- July 1991 ... Children's Hospital received approval to establish a cystic fibrosis satellite center affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- September 1991 ... Children's Hospital's Radiology Department opened a Nuclear Medicine Service.
- October 1991 ... Children's Hospital's Pulmonary Service was established with an expanded Pulmonary Function Lab.
- December 1992 ... The Non-Emergency Care Center opened to provide primary care after traditional office hours.
- January 1993 ... The Children's Hospital Pharmacy began dispensing Unit Dose prescriptions.
- January 1993 ... The Medical Office Building Parking Garage was completed.
- April 1993 ... The first Center Stage benefit for Children's Hospital featured entertainer Melissa Manchester.
- July 1993 ... A Pediatric Ground Transport Service via Lifeline was inaugurated.
- October 1993 ... Pediatric Physiatry was added to the list of medical subspecialties at Children's.
- December 1993 ... The new two-story entrance to Children's was completed.
- March 1994 ... The Surgery Department expanded to include seven surgical units and 18 outpatient surgery beds.
- June 1994 ... The 12th annual Children's Miracle Network telethon broke the $1 million mark for the first time, raising more than $1,015,000 to purchase new medical equipment for a variety of hospital departments.
- August 1994 ... Children's Primary Care Center, a general pediatric practice, opened.
- Fall 1994 ... Construction was completed on an 8,000-square-foot ambulatory care center over the existing Emergency Department.
- June 1996 ... Partners in Pediatrics, Children's Hospital's pediatric integrated delivery system, was incorporated in the state of Tennessee.
- August 1996 ... Children's Hospital Home Health Care moved from the Children's Hospital Medical Office Building to a new, larger location in West Knoxville.
- January-December 1997 ... Children's Hospital celebrated its 60th anniversary.
- March 1998 ... An expansion and renovation of Surgery, Outpatient Surgery and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit at Children's was completed.
- May 1998 ... The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit introduced the developmental care philosophy into the unit. The philosophy focuses on treating the developmental needs of premature and ill newborns.
- April 1999 ... Children's Plaza, a three-story office building across the street from the hospital's main entrance and connected on the second floor to the hospital/Medical Office Building crosswalk, opened. The building houses various hospital departments and a new conference/meeting center.
- August 1999 ... The site for Children's West was approved by the board of directors to offer physician office space and outpatient services on an 18-acre site in West Knoxville at Westland Drive and Pellissippi Parkway.
- June 2000 ... The 18th annual Children's Miracle Network Telethon broke an East Tennessee record by raising $1.84 million, with the funds going toward the purchase of an MRI scanner for the hospital.
- March 2001 ... Following construction of an addition to Children's Hospital, the MRI scanner went into service at Children's.
- March 2001 ... Children's Hospital added a fifth administrative vice president position. The new Vice President for Medical Services, serving in a part-time position, is Joseph Childs, M.D., who joined the Children's Hospital medical staff in 1988. He also is the hospital's Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Medical Director of Children's Pediatric Group, as well as a former Chief of Staff.
- April 2001 ... Children's acquired a second Lifeline transport van. The two vans are specially equipped hospital-to-hospital "intensive care units on wheels."
- June 2001 ... Children's Hospital announced plans to construct Children's West Surgery Center, a pediatric outpatient surgery center on the Children's West campus at Pellissippi Parkway and Westland Drive in West Knoxville. The center is a joint venture between Children's Hospital and 14 area surgeons and dentists. The 8,800-square-foot surgery center was planned to include two operating rooms with capacity to expand to a third.
- September 2001 ... The Children's Plaza Building, an office building on the campus of Children's Hospital, was renamed Koppel Plaza in honor of Bob Koppel, who celebrated his 25th anniversary as hospital president that month.
- November 2001 ... The state of Tennessee's Health Facilities Commission unanimously approved Children's Hospital's Certificate of Need to construct Children's West Surgery Center, a project that was announced in June 2001.
- November 2001 ... Children's Hospital announced plans for a major expansion and renovation project on the main campus. The project includes a new seven-story patient tower, a third-floor addition over the existing Emergency Department and renovation of much of the existing facility, including renovation of all semi-private patient rooms into private rooms with full baths. Also as part of this project, the Koppel Plaza was to be expanded.
- November 2001 ... Children's began the planning process to relocate the Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center from its present location on Gleason Road in West Knoxville to a larger, updated facility to be constructed on the Children's West campus.
- December 2001 ... Children's Hospital Home Health Care moved to a larger location in Farragut.
- December 2001 ... The new Children's Hospital employee parking garage opened.
- December 2001 ... Construction began on the addition to the Koppel Plaza. This project includes an expansion of the building on its west side, and then two additional floors were added to the building.
- February 2002 ... The first Star 102.1 Radiothon to benefit Children's Hospital raised more than $137,000 during its three-day run at Foothills Mall in Maryville. Proceeds from the event purchased new medical equipment for Children's Hospital Home Health Care and the Outpatient Clinics.
- February 2002 ... The University of Tennessee Dance Marathon, a student-run event, topped the $100,000 mark for the first time, raising $101,697.84 for the Hematology/Oncology Endowment Fund at Children's Hospital.
- March 2002 ...The state of Tennessee's Health Facilities Commission unanimously approved Children's Hospital's Certificate of Need for a major expansion of the hospital facilities, announced in November 2001.
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Spring 2002 ... Construction began on Children's West Surgery Center.
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June 2002 ... The 20th annual Children's Miracle Network Telethon topped the $2 million mark for the first time. The telethon's total of more than $2.2 million made it the largest telethon of any kind ever in East Tennessee. The telethon funded the purchase of a new automated chemistry analyzer for the hospital's Laboratory and four new infant ventilators for Respiratory Care.
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July 2002 ... Emergency Department parking was moved from a surface lot at the corner of Clinch Avenue and 20th Street to a larger lot at White and 20th Streets to prepare for the start of construction of the hospital's new seven-story patient tower on the old Emergency Department parking lot.
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July 2002 ... The Nursing Retention Task Force, established to help Children's Hospital face a national shortage of nurses, reported a decrease of 6 percent in the hospital's turnover rate for the first time, following the task force's first year of intensive efforts to recruit and retain additional nurses.
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Fall 2002 ... The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill allowing a specialty license plate to be created to benefit Children's Hospital.
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October 2002 ... Work began on excavation of the former Emergency Department/physician parking lot at the corner of Clinch Avenue and 21st Street for the new seven-story patient tower.
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November 2002 ... The annual Fantasy of Trees, in its 18th year, made its first-ever move to a new location, debuting in grand style at the spectacular new Knoxville Convention Center. The new location offered significantly more space for a larger event. The show hosted a record 54,354 guests and raised a record $312,963. Volunteers worked more than 110,500 hours on the event, which featured about 240 designer items. The net proceeds of the Fantasy of Trees also reached a milestone, topping the $3 million mark. In 18 years, the festive event has raised $3,069,842 to purchase medical equipment for Children's Hospital.
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March 2003 ... Construction began on the new Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center on the Children's West campus.
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April 2003 ... The Children's West Surgery Center was completed and began offering outpatient surgery services to this area's children. The new facility was one of only 10 pediatric outpatient surgery centers in the United States.
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June 2003 ... The expansion of the Koppel Plaza was finished, and all departments scheduled for relocation completed their moves into the new and renovated spaces.
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January 2004 … Children's Hospital provided care in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Tennessee's first surviving quintuplets, the van Tols. Willem Scott, Sean Conner, Isabella Marie, Ashley Faith and Meghan Ann were born January 14, 2004, between 12:22 and 12:24 p.m. and weighed between 2 pounds, 8.8 ounces and 4 pounds, 0 ounces. The bigger, stronger boys went home first, on February 6. Isabella went home February 9, and the other two girls went home February 15. The proud parents, Willem and Shannon van Tol of Knoxville, welcomed their five healthy babies during a Cesarean section at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, across the street from Children's Hospital. Among the 28 health care professionals attending the delivery were five neonatologists, five neonatal nurses and five respiratory therapists from Children's Hospital.
- February 2004 … The Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center moved into its new location on the Children's West campus at Pellissippi Parkway and Westland Drive, next to the Children's West Surgery Center.
- April 2004 … The Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center opened its doors to welcome the community to a public open house of its new space.
- Spring 2004 … Children's Hospital physicians created a pediatric sedation service to offer greater safety and comfort for patients during medical tests and procedures when general anesthesia was unnecessary.
- May 2004 … The Children's Hospital Auxiliary presented its largest gift ever to Children's Hospital -- $75,000 raised through holiday greeting card sales, plant sales and other special events. The funds were earmarked for a new patient entertainment system to be installed in all patient rooms as a way to help make hospitalization more comfortable.
- September 2004 … The Children's Hospital Auxiliary celebrated its 40th anniversary. Many longtime members attended the celebration at the hospital.
- January 2005 … Beckie Thomas, R.N., vice president for patient care services, retired after 27 years of service to Children's Hospital, including more than 20 years as vice president. Laura Barnes, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.A.A.,B.C., was named the new vice president. Barnes, with 30 years of experience at Children's, previously served as nursing director for critical care services.
- Spring 2005 … Pediatric dermatology, a new subspecialty, was added to the list of subspecialties at Children's. A longtime Children's Hospital dermatologist was one of only three Tennesseans to pass the first-ever certification examination offered by the American Board of Dermatology for certification as a pediatric dermatologist.
- July 2005 … Pediatric nephrology was added to the list of medical subspecialties at Children's.
- Fall 2005 … After periodic floor closings, department relocations and additions, Children's Hospital's $31.8 million, three-year expansion project was completed. When the project began, Children's Hospital was a 169,700-square-foot, 122-bed facility; the hospital now boasts 285,500 square feet of space and 152 licensed beds. Throughout this lengthy project, Children's Hospital underwent significant changes to better serve the region's children and make the hospital more child- and family-friendly.
- Fall 2005 … Even as the hospital wound down its construction project to better serve East Tennessee, Children's Hospital and many staff members worked tirelessly in various capacities to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The hospital and staff made significant donations of time, manpower, and supplies (both personal and medical) for shelters throughout the affected states as well as for Knoxville's shelter.
- November 2005 … The 21st annual Fantasy of Trees to benefit Children's Hospital was a record-breaker. A crowd of 62,556 guests – more than 7,400 above the previous record attendance – visited the show at the Knoxville Convention Center. In addition, the 2005 event raised $322,518, the largest net in the Fantasy's history.
- January 2006 … Children's Hospital provided surgical care for an Iraqi girl brought here for treatment of a serious medical condition. The young girl was first seen at a clinic in Iraq established by the U.S. military; a physician's assistant with the Tennessee National Guard who examined her in 2005 had ties to East Tennessee and initiated the process to bring her to Knoxville for treatment. A second Iraqi girl arrived a few weeks later and was expected to have surgery at Children's Hospital in spring 2006.
- March 2006 … A capital campaign for Children's Hospital's recently completed three-year, $31.8 million construction/renovation project was announced, including $5 million pledged from three area families to support the $10 million campaign. In addition, three areas of Children's Hospital were named in honor of the three major donors. Bob and Wendy Goodfriend of Knoxville committed $3 million to the capital campaign; because of this gift and their long history of support, the hospital's Board of Directors honored multiple generations of their family by naming the new Children's Hospital seven-story patient facility the "Goodfriend Tower." Members of the Haslam family of Knoxville pledged $1 million to the capital funds campaign, and the hospital's expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was named the "Haslam Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit" to honor their history of support. And Scott M. Niswonger of Greeneville, Tenn., made a commitment of $1 million to the campaign; in appreciation of this gift, the expanded Emergency Department was named the "Scott M. Niswonger Emergency Department" in his honor.
- June 2006 … Children's Hospital President Bob Koppel announced his upcoming retirement, effective June 30, 2007. Koppel has served as president and CEO of the hospital since 1976. Upon his retirement from the hospital presidency, Koppel will serve two years as President/CEO Emeritus, focusing on strategic planning, physician relationships and advocacy. Koppel is currently the longest serving hospital president in the state of Tennessee.
- August 2006 … Children's Hospital formed an alliance with Holston Valley Regional Children's Hospital and Center in Kingsport. Holston Valley has reinvigorated its children's services through the groundbreaking alliance. Seventeen board-certified pediatric specialists in six specialties from Children's Hospital have established an office and are now seeing patients at Holston Valley.
- January 2007 … The Children's Hospital Auxiliary changed its name to Children's Hospital Volunteers to strengthen the organization. All volunteers are automatically members of the organization, which raises funds to support important services throughout the hospital.
- February 2007 … The Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center opened an indoor therapy pool at its facility on the Children’s West Campus in West Knoxville. The Rehab Center offered therapy in a pool setting to a limited number of patients for several years at a city-owned pool. Having a pool at the Rehab Center allows many more patients to benefit from this type of therapy.
- March 2007 … Keith D. Goodwin of Columbus, Ohio, was named President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Children’s Hospital, succeeding Bob Koppel, who will retire June 30, 2007, after a distinguished 31-year career as the hospital’s chief executive officer.
- Spring 2007 … Cardiology went online with the PACS system (see November 2006 for a description of PACS).
- April 2007 … Jim Pruitt, Vice President for Finance for the past 15 years, announced his retirement effective October 26, 2007.
- June 1, 2007 … Keith D. Goodwin became President and CEO of Children’s Hospital, and Bob Koppel became the hospital’s President/CEO Emeritus.
- November 2007 … The 23rd annual Fantasy of Trees holiday fund-raiser to benefit Children’s Hospital welcomed its 1 millionth guest during the 2007 event and raised a record $380,000. Since the Fantasy of Trees began, many East Tennessee families have made it a part of their holiday traditions.
- June 2008 … Children’s Hospital unveiled a new strategic plan, including a new vision statement: Leading the Way to Healthy Children. The plan will guide the pediatric medical center for the next several years.
- July 2008 … Children’s Hospital added a sixth vice president position to Administration. Longtime hospital attorney Bruce Anderson was named Vice President for Legal Services and General Counsel, focusing on risk management, corporate compliance, insurance and hospital contractual relationships.
- July 2008 … Children’s Hospital became the lead organization for Safe Kids of the Greater Knox Area. The mission of the local Safe Kids coalition is to reduce unintentional injuries in children up to age 14 in the East Tennessee region by promoting awareness and implementing prevention initiatives. The local Safe Kids is part of Safe Kids Worldwide, a network of coalitions whose primary purpose is to prevent unintentional injuries in children by providing children and adults caring for them with information about how to stay safe.
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