BayCare previews new children’s hospital to open in 2030

Florida health system BayCare has revealed a new rendering of its future Pagidipati Children’s Hospital at St. Joseph’s. The freestanding facility, scheduled to open in 2030, will replace its current St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, which BayCare describes as Tampa Bay’s largest provider of pediatric health care.

A rendering of the new hospital at nighttime. | Image courtesy of BayCare

Its vision for the new hospital is to “deliver world-class care in a vibrant, welcoming environment that inspires hope and healing for generations to come” and to expand access to high-quality, specialized pediatric care across West Central Florida.

Working with architects at Stantec, BayCare says every element of the new hospital will be purposefully designed for children and families. For example, the facility’s multi-color exterior and dynamic lighting will shift with the seasons and holidays. The idea is to “welcome families with wonder and joy from the moment they arrive,” with the facility acting as “a subtle reminder that this is a place of hope and recovery for the children of West Central Florida and beyond.”

Sarah Naumowich, president of St. Joseph’s Children's and St. Joseph’s Women’s hospitals, envisions the new hospital elevating every aspect of care by blending child-focused design with advanced clinical programs across a wide range of pediatric specialties. She says the facility will “dramatically improve the experience for children and families” with a design that inspires “comfort and reassurance” to children and their caregivers.

BayCare uses other inspiring terms to describe the new facility: a design that “blends clinical excellence with warmth and playfulness” with spaces that “encourage comfort, togetherness and discovery.” It describes “intuitive wayfinding, welcoming common areas, and environments that reduce stress while supporting healing” and, overall, “a hospital that feels less like an institution and more like a destination for care — where children feel safe, inspired and hopeful throughout their journey.”

St. Joseph's Children’s Hospital Foundation is partnering with Tampa’s Pagidipati family and other local philanthropists to accelerate the project. Business leader and philanthropist Sidd Pagidipati, with siblings Rahul and Srujani, provided a $50 million gift for the project in celebration of their parents’ legacy as healthcare providers.