The University of Minnesota’s plans for a new $275 million children’s hospital received a boost last week with the announcement of a $50 million gift.
Caroline Amplatz, the daughter of Dr. Kurt Amplatz — who taught at the university’s medical school and was known for his research and as a pioneer in medical device technology — pledged the funds that will be doled out to the university over the next 12 years. The hospital, which is slated to open in 2011, is to be named for her father.
Fairview Health Services which shares a campus with the university’s medical facilities, is financing about $175 million. Fairview and the University of Minnesota Physicians have put another project, a $200 million outpatient care facility, on hold due to the turmoil in the capital markets. Construction had been slated to begin this spring, but officials are putting off any decisions until next year.
The new state-of-the-art University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital will be an ecologically friendly, 96-bed, 227,000-square-foot facility, according to a statement from the university. The project relies on bond financing for the $175 million coming from Fairview with the remainder coming from the hospital’s philanthropic campaign.
