CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Children's announced plans to expand its Liberty Campus later this year to serve more of the Butler County community with a new medical office building and by expanding its hospital.

Through the expansion, the hospital plans to double its inpatient hospital beds and add surgical operating rooms.

What You Need To Know

  • By expanding, the hospital plans to double its inpatient hospital beds 

  • The site will begin to be prepared for construction in March

  • In total, the expansion will cost $365 million

  • Liberty Campus first opened in 2008

“We are improving access for children and families in and around Butler County by bringing more services close to home,” said Dr. Steve Davis, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s. “New construction as well as the renovation of existing parts of the hospital will feature advanced technology combined with the personal touches suggested by patient families, the community, our medical providers and staff.”

The site will begin to be prepared in March with construction on the four-story medical office building will start this summer with an expected completion in 2027. While many clinical services are already available at the Liberty Campus, by relocating them to the medical office building it will allow the hospital to gain more space.

Meanwhile, the hospital itself will gain a four-story addition, including four new operating rooms, three new surgical procedure rooms, 10 more rooms for the Emergency Department and add 72 inpatient beds.

Currently, the hospital has 42 beds on site. The addition is expected to be completed in 2028 and will open a combined 114 inpatient beds.

More than 10,000 square feet of existing space will also be renovated, adding eight new rooms for imaging and to improve patient flow. The renovation is expected to be completed in 2029 and will also bring an expansion of the pharmacy, lab and Sterile Processing Department. It will also include a new lobby, patient drop-off spot, increase in administrative and education spaces as well as an outdoor dining area.

“In the very first year that Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus was open, the patients we cared for had approximately 109,000 visits,” said Dr. Evaline Alessandrini, chief operating officer. “Now, our Liberty Campus has nearly tripled in volume of care delivered – with more than 282,000 patient encounters a year, including an average of 60 surgeries a day. As more and more families who live near the Liberty Campus or in surrounding areas rely on our teams, we are investing in the resources needed to continue to provide access to the best outcomes by the best people."

The 61-acre campus opened in 2008, offering pediatric emergency services, operating rooms, clinics and 12 beds. On its first day there were 446 patients. They opened an inpatient unit in 2010 and added an urgent care in 2014. 

In 2015, the campus was expanded which increased the number of beds from 12 to 42. A Proton Therapy Center opened in 2016.

“Another benefit of these improvements includes allowing families to be cared for closer to their homes in Butler County or surrounding communities versus requiring transfer to Avondale,” Alessandrini said. “Being able to keep kids at the Liberty Campus will also increase patient and surgical capacity at our Burnet Campus, which is equipped for highly complex surgeries and treatment of rare disorders.”

Through the expansion, at least 250 new jobs will be created over five years. Overall, employment at Cincinnati Children's is 19,500 with more than 1,025 Cincinnati Children's employees work at the Liberty Campus.

In total the expansion will cost $365 million, including design, construction and medical equipment.