Dr. David Kays, medical director of the Shands Children’s Surgical Center, speaks to guests at the Official Grand Opening event on May 13. Photo by Sarah Kiewel
A glimpse of the deep blue ocean has come to Gainesville in the form of the newly renovated Shands Children’s Surgical Center, which offered an official grand opening look ‘sea’ in May for donors, supporters, and regional pediatricians. Striving to appeal to children of all ages, the saltwater theme offers brilliant colors and a delightful setting for patients and their families.
Shands Children’s Surgical Center at Ayers Medical Plaza is a four-operating room facility devoted to the care of children and adolescents. The pediatric-specific specialty surgeons, anesthesiologists and physicians offer a wide range of outpatient surgical procedures in the areas of general pediatric surgery, plastic and craniofacial surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, and dentistry, as well as medical specialties including pediatric gastroenterology and oncology.
Originally dedicated to pediatric surgical care in April 2008, the renovations of the Shands Children’s Surgical Center complete the vision of its medical director David Kays, M.D.
An aquatic mural paints the way to a skylight in the recovery room of the newly renovated Shands Children’s Surgical Center. Photo by Sarah Kiewel
“This is a spectacular facility for children and young adults, where dedicated children’s surgeons and pediatric anesthesiologists deliver the highest levels of expert and safe care in a setting worthy of the finest children’s hospitals ” said Kays, associate professor of pediatric surgery at the UF College of Medicine and surgeon-in-chief of Shands Children’s Hospital.
A sea and sand color scheme is carried throughout the surgical center, including stained glass above the entry, a saltwater aquarium in the waiting room, and an underwater mural in the recovery room.
Renovations for the surgical center were underwritten by Shands Celebrity Waiter Night and Children’s Miracle Network. For more surgical center information and referrals, call 352-273-8800.