Pediatric specialization in Peoria dates back to 1934, when the new pediatrics floor at St. Francis opened with 35 beds. In 1952, construction started on the St. Francis Children's Hospital, which opened in 1954, and occupied two floors of the new three-story building. The new hospital had 114 pediatric beds. On January 30, 1990, the new Children's Hospital of Illinois was announced and preliminary plans were being made for a new stand-alone building for Children's Hospital. Discussions for the Milestone Project began in 2002, and construction began in 2007. As a result, the new Children's Hospital of Illinois opened in August 2010, featuring a new Level I pediatric and a
Level III neonatal intensive care unit (the only one in Central Illinois) and an emergency room. The Milestone Project was the largest expansion in the hospital's history, which added 440,000 square feet and cost $280 million. In 2011, the hospital expanded their congenital heart program, in a merger with local clinics. The hospital has an
American Academy of Pediatrics verified
Level III NICU, the highest in the state.
Groundbreaking surgery The hospital made national and international headlines in the healthcare field on April 9, 2013. Surgery was performed on Hannah Warren, a two-year-old toddler, from South Korea (born to a
Canadian father and
South Korean mother) who was born without a
trachea (a windpipe), Although the trachea implant was successful, she was unable to overcome her other health issues, and her lung function continued to deteriorate. Hannah Warren died three months after surgery, due to complications pertaining to her lung function. Her family stated that "She is a pioneer in stem-cell technology and her impact will reach all corners of our beautiful Earth". == Patient Care Units ==