UW Health’s American Family Children’s Hospital is set to expand, adding 24 new beds to bring its total capacity to 131 — more than double the 61 beds it had when it opened in 2007, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The expansion will create a 14-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and a new, 10-bed cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) on the sixth floor, which was originally left vacant in anticipation of future growth.
The hospital’s current 21-bed PICU is often full, which forced UW Health to turn away over 100 children in need of critical care in 2023, said Nikki Stafford, president of the children’s hospital. Over the past three years, heart patients have increased by 46%, driving the need for a dedicated CICU.
“This expansion is essential to ensure that families never have to worry about whether a hospital bed is available when a child is sick,” Stafford said.
The $33 million project, funded largely through philanthropy — including a $10 million donation from Madison’s American Family Insurance — is expected to begin in 2026, with the new beds opening in late 2027. The children’s hospital, which has gradually expanded since its opening, shares level 1 pediatric trauma center status with Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and the two hospitals recently partnered on pediatric cardiac care.
Beyond pediatric care, UW Health is undergoing several major expansions, including a $133 million addition to East Madison Hospital, a $177 million seven-story expansion of UW Hospital, and a $122 million clinic near University Avenue set to begin construction this fall. These projects follow the recent opening of the $465 million Eastpark Medical Center.
