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Phoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital will be opening its expanded and upgraded Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit in July, doubling the hospital鈥檚 capacity for heart patients and adding technological advances to make cardiovascular treatment easier and more efficient.

Dubbed the CVICU, the brightly-colored new wing of (PCH) is empty at the moment, but it will soon be packed with young heart patients.

鈥淭he cardiac intensive care unit here at Phoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital has become quite busy, and we operate every day at nearly capacity,鈥� said Dr. Joshua D. Koch, pediatric specialist and division chief of the. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a real need for expansion for some time now.鈥�

Koch said the new unit 鈥� which features 48 total beds, doubling the former 24-bed unit 鈥� was designed using input from clinicians as well as patients鈥� families, who participated in the Phoenix Children鈥檚 Heart Family Advisory Board. PCH used the advisory board鈥檚 recommendations to tailor its new CVICU rooms to patients鈥� various needs.

The improvements should make work easier for providers: additional monitors give physicians a better view of patient vitals; new surgical lighting allows each room to be quickly converted into an operating room; and patient lifts allow hospital staff to move larger patients in a way that is safer for both patient and provider.

Beyond increasing surgical capabilities in patient rooms, the CVICU will serve as an integrated, centralized hub for staff, according to a press release from PCH. The expansion also includes private areas for patient families and privacy curtains in every hospital room, so families and patients can interact without interruption.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about opening this new, state-of-the-art wing to the cardiac ICU,鈥� Koch said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to expand not only our ability to take more patients, but also we鈥檝e improved the technology and some of the efficiencies of what we do, as well as taken into account families鈥� and patients鈥� opinions about how we could better build the unit.鈥�

PCH provides what is called family-centered care, making sure parents are actively involved with their child鈥檚 diagnosis, treatment and recovery process.

Doctors have a responsibility to listen to patients鈥� families, because parents 鈥渒now their children very, very well,鈥� Koch said. When at PCH discuss a patient鈥檚 plan of care, the parents, siblings and patient 鈥� if they are able to participate 鈥� play a 鈥渞eally valuable鈥� role in deciding the best course of action, he said.

鈥淲e take into account [the family鈥檚] thoughts on their care,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e really rely on them sometimes, when a child has a particularly complex medical history that鈥檚 happened over a long period of time. Families can oftentimes be our best source of information for remembering what worked well for a patient and what didn鈥檛 work well.鈥�

Dr. Wayne J. Franklin, cardiologist and co-director of the Heart Center at PCH, said the new CVICU is important because it will provide much-needed resources and care options for the growing number of cardiac patients at the hospital.

鈥� is expanding,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing more patients, we鈥檙e seeing sicker patients, and we鈥檙e seeing a lot more cardiac patients, and so we need more space to treat them. We鈥檙e seeing them at earlier stages in life; we鈥檙e seeing them at later stages in life.鈥�

There has been a 鈥渂ig push鈥� to have standalone children鈥檚 hospitals nationwide that can take care of the most vulnerable child patients, and the new CVICU is a response to that, Franklin said.

Koch said PCH鈥檚 goal is to expand its patient population: 鈥淎s children with congenital heart disease grow up into adults with congenital heart disease, we try to plan and think forward about that.鈥�

Koch and Franklin are relatively new to Phoenix 鈥� Franklin started at PCH in September, and Koch has been there about a year 鈥� but both said they were impressed by the amount of support PCH receives from the community and local philanthropy.

鈥淧hoenix is really getting behind this hospital in a way that shows that they care about the children of Phoenix and Maricopa County, and, really, of Arizona and the Southwest,鈥� Koch said. 鈥淲e are the premier center to get congenital heart surgery performed in the Southwest.鈥�

Franklin said the Phoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation, the hospital鈥檚, has partnered with charities and corporations in the Valley, including groups like the and the Scottsdale Active 20-30 Club, to form a community-based coalition to raise money for the new CVICU.

鈥淧hoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital has really made an effort to find several pillars and several specialties to really support and go after,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淔ortunately for us, cardiology and Heart Center is one.鈥�

Earlier this year, the heart surgery program at Phoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital of three stars from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for the sixth year in a row.

There are other centers of excellence at PCH, too, including and cancer research, Franklin said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of really good work going on here in Phoenix Children鈥檚 right now,鈥� he said.

Franklin said he comes to work every day 鈥渆nergized and invigorated鈥� to work with his colleagues and help patients.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just been an honor and a pleasure to work here, and I hope that we can continue to raise the bar for cardiac and medical care in Phoenix,鈥� he said.