East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Holding 21st Street Plaza Grand Opening

Children’s Hospital is holding the grand opening for the 21st Street Pedestrian Plaza on Friday, September 27th at 10:30AM. The grand opening will include a carnival for patients and remarks from Children’s Hospital leaders to celebrate this new space. The hospital’s board of directors, as well as city and county leaders will be in attendance.

“We are thrilled to open this new space to the Children’s Hospital community. Our mission is to improve the health of children through exceptional, comprehensive family-centered care and my hope is that this plaza will enhance patient experience for all our families for years to come,” said Matt Schaefer, President and CEO of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

For many years, 21st Street has run between the North Tower of the hospital, Koppel Plaza and the Medical Office Building (MOB) and has been unsafe for patient families to cross. The newly created plaza safely connects the campus, while providing an open-air and safe pedestrian walkway for patients, families and staff to enjoy. To support the increasing number of visitors at the North Tower entryway and make it easier for families to navigate the hospital’s campus, the circular drive has also been updated for patient drop-off and pickup.

“Our goal for this plaza was to create a space centered around wellness for our patients, families and staff. Safety is the top priority on our campus, and this is just the beginning of enhancements to come at Children’s Hospital,” said Steven Godbold, Vice President of Operations at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

In addition, there will be an honorary section dedicated to Dr. Joe Childs, the previous Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Childs served at Children's Hospital for over 30 years.