For the past year, construction crews at Norton Children’s Hospital have been working on a project that transformed the front of the hospital.

Published: March 22, 2018 | Updated: May 9, 2019

For the past year, construction crews at Norton Children’s Hospital have been working on a project that transformed the front of the hospital. Gone are the dark windows, replaced now by brightly colored glass that coordinates with the iconic “Just for Kids” balloon logo. Behind the glass is the new S. Randolph Scheen Family Conference Center, which was officially dedicated on March 22.

The 7,000-square-foot conference center features five dedicated classrooms and state-of-the-art video conferencing technology. Norton Children’s Hospital is a regional teaching facility affiliated with the University of Louisville School of Medicine and 40 other clinical affiliation, so the center will offer educational and training opportunities for medical staff as well as enhance collaboration with allied health and nursing professionals throughout the region.

Nine Andy Warhol prints from the ‘Myths’ series

The new space also is home to a collection of nine Andy Warhol prints from the artist’s “Myths” series. The collection was donated to the hospital through the Children’s Hospital Foundation in 1984 by the Gladys and Lewis Bass family. Over the years, the prints have occupied various locations within the hospital and were loaned to the Speed Art Museum for a special 2010 exhibit. They now have a permanent home in the conference center.

The entire $4.8 million project was funded by the Children’s Hospital Foundation, with an initial lead gift of $1 million donation by longtime Louisville dermatologist S. Randolph Scheen Jr., M.D.

“Education is important to helping one reach personal goals,” Dr. Scheen said. “In the world of medicine, it’s also important to advancing care for the community.”

Gift to Norton Children’s was ‘a perfect fit’ for the Scheen family

“We’re grateful to Dr. Scheen and his family for their leadership in supporting this important project,” said Lynnie Meyer, Ed.D., R.N., CFRE, chief development officer for Norton Healthcare. “We know that education and training are essential to ensuring that our caregivers have the knowledge they need to care for our community’s children.”

When Dr. Scheen decided he wanted to make a transformational gift to a nonprofit, his daughters went to work researching options.

“We looked and looked and nothing felt exactly right,” said daughter Anne DeMarco. “My sister, Ellen Corbett, and I then learned about the renovation project and construction of a conference center at Norton Children’s Hospital. We knew it was a perfect fit.”

Family members and friends of the Scheens have spent countless hours, days and weeks receiving care from the team at Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the University of Louisville. They had heard stories about the great work being done by caregivers at the hospital and saw great value in the compassion shown to the thousands of children who visited each year.

“It is our hope that here, medical professionals will receive the education and training they need to continue providing the care this community has come to know and expect,” Dr. Scheen said.

The S. Randolph Scheen Family Conference Center is the first phase of a $78.3 million investment by Norton Healthcare to renovate several areas at Norton Children’s Hospital, as well as create the Jennifer Lawrence fCardiac Intensive Care Unit. Areas to be renovated include the “Just for Kids” Critical Care Center and two neonatal intensive care units. The project will be completed in 2021.