Fifteen years ago, in what was once farmland, our Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus became a new hub for healthcare for pediatric patients in our northern areas. There has been a lot of growth in our northern suburbs, and Cincinnati Children’s wanted to offer our world-class care closer to home for the patients who live there.
As our patient population has grown, our Liberty Radiology Department has expanded to meet the demands. We have always offered 24-hour X-ray coverage, but with the growth of our Emergency Department and Urgent Care, we are busier than ever. Our CT and Ultrasound departments are staffed with 24-hour coverage during the week. Over the weekend, there is a tech here during the day and on-call overnight for emergent exams. Nuclear Medicine scans are scheduled for two days each week at Liberty; recently, a third day has been added every other week. Our MRI department sees patients every day except Sundays.
Our multi-disciplinary clinics and Same-Day Surgery departments have also added more availability over the years to serve our patients. An Urgent Care sees patients with acute illnesses, and during high-disease seasons, we have offered a Minor Illness Clinic. The Liberty Campus has seen some major constructions projects also: We have expanded to add a fourth-floor In-Patient Unit and a new building to house a Proton Therapy/Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute. Recently, construction has started on short-term housing for our proton therapy patients and their families to stay on-site throughout their treatment.
Our patients at the Liberty campus have access to support services that are available at the main campus. The Vascular Access Team can aid in starting IV’s and accessing central lines, Child Life Specialists assist during appointments to help children who are anxious with hospital procedures, and additional assistance may be provided by our Behavioral Specialist Team. Conveniences such as an out-patient pharmacy, a cafeteria, and gift shop are also available to our patients and their families.
It has been a busy and exciting fifteen years, and we are looking forward to seeing what is in store for future growth here at the Liberty Campus!
Photos from Tonya Nicholas, Radiology Manager
Becky has been an MRI Tech at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for almost 15 years. She grew up on the west side of Cincinnati and studied Radiology at UC. She lived in Southern Maryland and Virginia Beach while her husband served in the US Navy and came back to the area just as the Liberty Campus was opening. She loves being in such a great team and working with kids. She enjoys spending time with her children and 2 beautiful granddaughters.
Meredith Towbin is a freelance copy editor and writer. She has copyedited the Department of Radiology’s blog since it launched. She also works as a copy editor for the home improvement website BobVila.com. Her writing has been featured on HuffPost as well as other writing sites.
