The state-of-the-art 12-story tower being built to
house the Johns Hopkins Children's Center
will be named the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center
at Johns Hopkins, in honor of the mother
of New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a Johns Hopkins
graduate and former trustee.
The
Children's Center, the pediatric hospital at Johns
Hopkins and Maryland's largest children's
hospital, will move in early 2011 to the tower now under
construction at the corner of Wolfe and
Orleans streets in East Baltimore.
Charlotte R. Bloomberg, 99, was born in Jersey City,
N.J. She graduated from high school at 16
and is often credited by her son for his strong work ethic
and belief in the importance of giving back.
A New York University graduate, she married William
Bloomberg and together they raised their two
children, Michael and Marjorie, in Medford, Mass. Charlotte
Bloomberg remains active in the cultural
and civic life of Medford, where she still lives, and is
especially devoted to her synagogue and her local
Hadassah chapter.
Michael Bloomberg honored his mother on the occasion
of her 75th birthday in 1983 by
establishing the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Professorship in
the Humanities in the university's Krieger
School of Arts and Sciences.
"It's a rare privilege to be able to thank
simultaneously two of the most important forces in my
life: my mother and my alma mater," said Mayor Bloomberg.
"As a son of Hopkins — and of Bloomberg — I
couldn't be prouder that future generations of children
will associate the unsurpassed care and
comfort they'll receive at the center with a woman who
provided those very same qualities to me."
Bloomberg, mayor of New York since 2002, is a 1964
engineering graduate of Johns Hopkins and
a longtime supporter of the university and Johns Hopkins
Medicine. He served as the chairman of the
university's board of trustees from 1996 to 2002,
overseeing the largest fund-raising campaign in the
school's history. He also is the largest donor in the
132-year history of the Johns Hopkins
Institutions. The public health school at the university
was named the Bloomberg School of Public
Health in 2001 to recognize his commitment and support.
"Michael Bloomberg has helped make Johns Hopkins
University a better place for students,
faculty and researchers," said William R. Brody, president
of the university. "His generous support of
the new children's hospital will impact the future of
pediatric medicine by allowing us to provide the
best patient care, to research the causes of and cures for
childhood illness and to train the
pediatricians of tomorrow."
Edward D. Miller, dean of the faculty of the School of
Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins
Medicine, said, "We are extremely pleased that Michael
Bloomberg has once again extended his
generosity to the university to include Johns Hopkins
Medicine and the Children's Center. His
commitment to public health is well-known, and now he will
be recognized as well for supporting child
health care."
The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center —
now under construction along with a new adult
cardiovascular and critical care facility — is part
of one of the largest hospital construction projects in
the country. The new building, designed as a healing
environment to help alleviate stress on families
and sick children, will have 205 private inpatient rooms
with extensive accommodations to help
families support their children throughout hospitalization.
It will have expanded intensive care unit
capabilities and an innovative neonatal intensive care
design with private beds to enhance parent-child
bonding and reduce infections. A 10-bed research unit will
bring the latest in pediatric research to the
bedside. Other features include 10 high-tech surgical
suites, a dedicated pediatric radiology unit and
telecommunications facilities for consultations.
In keeping with his commitment to public art, Mayor
Bloomberg has initiated a unique cultural
program for the new facility. The building will be
enveloped by a distinctive composition of patterned
clear glass and solid colored panels (26 colors in total)
devised by artist Spencer Finch, working with
building architects Perkins + Will. Finch is known for his
interest in optics and perception, and his
evocative use of light and color. He drew his inspiration
for the hospital building from paintings by the
Impressionist Claude Monet. The central role of art and
artists will continue throughout the building's
interiors.
Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins
Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Health
System, said, "Johns Hopkins has played a leadership role
in pediatrics for nearly 100 years. This
magnificent gift will carry on that leadership position by
providing a state-of-the-art hospital facility
for the care of children."
"We are so grateful for the generosity of the
Bloomberg family," said George Dover, director
of Johns Hopkins Children's Center and chair of the
Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine. "We have made some amazing
discoveries here in the past century that
have advanced the practice of pediatric medicine, but the
Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center
will take us to the next level in providing exceptional
care for our young patients."