Bethany Children’s Health Center breaks ground on new expansion which includes the Center of Excellence.
Bethany is home to a place of healing and hope that is expanding to reach even more families in need. At Bethany Children’s Health Center, children with special health needs and those who have experienced traumatic injuries receive expert care from medical specialists, therapists and educators. The hospital’s unique model of care, designed to maximize each child’s potential and pave the way to a successful transition from hospital to home, has led to a greatly increased demand for services.
Hundreds of community members of all ages recently celebrated the official groundbreaking for the new expansion, the “Landmark of Hope” on Bethany Children’s Health Center’s campus. This new outpatient tower and center of excellence is slated to open in early 2027.
Guided by Storyland Studios and REES Architects, the concept for the $178 million, 200,000-square-foot Outpatient Tower features a one-of-a-kind design that will become a Route 66 landmark. Symbolizing the transformation of a child who receives specialized care, a vibrant, four-story caterpillar will emerge as a butterfly soaring into the next phase of the journey.
As a center of excellence, the outpatient tower at Bethany Children’s will encourage collaboration and training, further enhancing the hospital’s reputation as a leader in pediatric care and rehabilitation on a national level.
Building a foundation in Bethany
The story of Bethany Children’s Health Center began 126 years ago when Mattie Mallory, a compassionate soul passing through Oklahoma City, felt compelled to serve the orphans she encountered on the streets. With just $6 to her name and an unwavering faith, she founded the Oklahoma Orphanage in 1898.
In 1909, Mallory relocated her modest orphanage to Mueller Street in Bethany. What began as an orphanage later transformed into a convalescent home and ultimately evolved into a renowned pediatric medical facility with a dedicated staff of over 900.
In 2023 the nonprofit hospital’s inpatient program extended expert care to 284 children and teenagers with complex medical and physical disabilities hailing from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania.Bethany Children’s Health Center, accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), is the only inpatient pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Oklahoma. The outpatient therapy department recorded 11,466 patient visits in 2023, while the outpatient pediatric clinic saw 9,705 patient visits, catering to 3,238 unique patients.
Amidst the expansion of facilities and services, Bethany Children’s remains rooted in founder Mallory’s principles of faith, hope and love with an unwavering commitment to the well-being of every child. The mission to maximize every child’s potential is deeply ingrained in the hospital’s culture, with a commitment from leadership to lead the way in pediatric care.
Innovation and specialized care
The hospital boasts a range of specialty services, outpatient therapy and a pediatric clinic providing primary care for local families. Additionally, the Bethany Community Pharmacy, which opened in 2021, offers personalized customer service and handles the compounding of complex medications. The pharmacy mails an average of 700 prescriptions monthly to customers across Oklahoma.
Through community outreach programs like Safe Kids Oklahoma, Ride Safe Oklahoma, Healthy Schools Oklahoma and Oklahoma Adaptive Sports Association (OKASA), the hospital prioritizes injury prevention, children’s health and adapted recreation activities. They educate parents and students while offering resources such as free car seats for families in need.
Thanks to generous community support, the hospital completed construction of the state-of-the-art Adapted Recreation and Fine Arts Center in 2020. This facility includes the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Center, where children and their families practice everyday skills in lifelike settings like a café, car and school bus. The center also features a Smart Home, an aquatic therapy pool, a gym, a range of arts facilities and Miracle Stadium, a versatile youth adaptive field and outdoor play area.
A Bright future for more children
Today, Bethany Children’s offers premier primary care, specialty services, therapies and continuing post-discharge care, many of which are rare nationwide, let alone in Oklahoma. The demand for these specialized services is high and steadily increasing. The hospital’s deliberate growth strategy seeks to address the needs of children in Oklahoma and the ongoing demand for various levels of care.
Within Bethany Children’s Health Center’s master plan for expansion, the construction and implementation of the outpatient tower plays a crucial role in meeting demand, as well as positioning the hospital as a nationally recognized center of excellence. This visionary plan will more than quadruple the current operating space, granting access to more children.
The new outpatient center of excellence will enable Bethany Children’s to reduce the growing waitlist for services, expand the team of healthcare professionals and share providers’ expertise as a center for shared learning with cutting-edge technologies and equipment.
These services and treatments enable children and teens to recover from debilitating traumatic injuries and illnesses and to thrive, maximizing their potential to take flight into a promising future.
Bethany Children’s Health Center has laid a foundation based on excellence and a commitment to maximizing the potential of every child. The center is now poised to build on that foundation, ensuring every child can access outstanding care and specialized medical and rehabilitation services, providing hope to their families.
To learn more about the Bethany Children’s Health Center, visit www.bethanychildrens.org.
