Reaching New Heights for Our Region’s Children
Dressed for success in neon safety vests and regulation hard hats, nearly 300 supporters clapped and cheered as Valentina sounded the airhorn while a crane operator raised two special beams to top out the future Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Wesley Chapel.
After inpatient treatment that included a bone marrow transplant for a challenging form of leukemia at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Valentina and her family now commute to St. Petersburg for follow-up care. They are excited that these visits will be close to their Wesley Chapel home when the new hospital opens in fall 2027.
“We are reaching new heights, but this moment is about much more than placing the final beam of this incredible facility,” said Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital President Alicia Schulhof, M.H.A., F.A.C.H.E. “This will be a place designed for healing, where we provide advanced medicine, compassion, care and support.”
“It’s the latest chapter in our 100-year legacy of caring for children,” Schulhof continued. “In 1926, community leaders in St. Petersburg recognized the need of local children. That legacy continues today as we bring our exceptional care to this community.”
The new hospital’s first employee is Chief Administrative Officer Joseph Perno, M.D. As a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s for more than 20 years and vice president of medical affairs since 2019, he brings deep knowledge of All Children’s culture and care to the new facility.
Coming Fall 2027: The All-New Johns Hopkins All Children’s Wesley Chapel Hospital
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital will have a 17-bed emergency center, 56 inpatient rooms, four operating rooms equipped with the latest technology, an inpatient rehabilitation unit—meeting an important need for the region’s children—plus a 25,000 square foot outpatient center with pediatric rehabilitation services and pediatric specialty care and more.
The hospital will also have telehealth capability back to the St. Petersburg campus for collaborative and connected care.
Today, families in Pasco County have to drive outside the county for almost pediatric specialty except primary care.
“What we are building here matters,” said Perno. “I’m so happy to help build this hospital from the ground up to serve children like Valentina and provide shorter drives and faster care designed for our patients and their families.”
With a 100-year history of caring for children with excellence and compassion, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Wesley Chapel will be an important part of our next century of care.
The new hospital is expected to open by Fall 2027.
Read More from Johns Hopkins All Children's
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Celebrates 100 Years of Healing
- Tracii’s Miracle – Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
- Snoh’s Story at Johns Hopkins All Children’s: From One Pound to a Thriving NICU Graduate
*Presented by Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital