Ten Kadlec Medical Center employees holding sheets of paper displaying numbers, commas and a dollar sign lined up to form a seven-digit figure.
"Wrong number," said Davidson Wood, a Kadlec Health System board member, about their guess as to how much Kadlec has quietly raised during the past nine months for a new pediatric center.
Wood moved Melanie O'Brien, Kadlec's maternal child coordinator, who held the number six, from the end of the line to the front, shuffled a few other number-holders and stepped back.
The Jeopardy! theme song someone in the audience whistled faded, being replaced by "oohs" and "ahs."
The line spelled out the amount $6,412,459.
Kadlec announced Wednesday morning to an audience of about 50 that it will build a $7 million pediatric unit on the currently shelled-out fifth floor of its soon-to-be-complete North Tower. Since June, it has raised the $6.4 million from hospital employees, foundation and health system board members and community members.
With less than $600,000 to go, Kadlec has begun the community phase of the campaign to build the 25,000-square-foot center. The amount will be raised in the next eight to 12 weeks, said Wood, a member of the Kadlec 4 Kids campaign executive committee.
"The passion of this project is the kids," Wood said. "You can raise a lot of money because people want to do this for children."
Kadlec's CEO Rand Wortman said he hopes to start construction on the center this year.
"We'll move forward as rapidly as we can build it," Wortman said. "We have a vision of doing more for our kids than we have in the past."
When complete, the center, which was not part of the original plan for the tower, will replace the current pediatric unit's nine semi-private rooms with 20 private patient rooms, a playroom, electronic charting and wireless technology.
Also planned is the hiring of a child-life specialist, who will help children and families prepare and cope with difficult or uncomfortable procedures and will provide play and support to help children throughout their stay at the center, according to Kadlec's foundation.
"The pediatric level of care will be raised," said Kelly Harper, the manager of maternal child services and the future center's nurse leader.
Along with Kadlec's team of pediatric hospitalists and a partnership with Seattle's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, a pediatric center at Kadlec would ensure that children who need care could stay in the Tri-Cities near family and friends, Harper said. Children needing intensive pediatric care still would have to go to Seattle or Spokane.
"All of this is coming together," said Rich Slocum, chair of the community campaign committee. "We cannot finish this project without the help of this community."
