Children’s Hospital Opens New “Living Room”

The Betty and Hank Lauricella Pavilion at Children’s Hospital was dedicated on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 with fanfare and celebration, as the completion marks the first major construction milestone of Children’s Hospital’s $300 million campus transformation effort. A $1 million gift from the Lauricella family made the construction of the Pavilion possible; the space was dedicated in honor of Betty and Hank Lauricella, prominent community leaders and philanthropists in greater New Orleans.

“We are grateful for the Lauricella family’s investment of time, talent and resources in Children’s Hospital, which spans nearly four decades,” said John R. Nickens IV, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital. “The new Lauricella Pavilion is the centerpiece of Children’s transformed hospital campus. Thanks to their generous gift, Children’s is one step closer to our goal of upgrading our physical space so that it matches the excellence of our clinical programs while allowing for increased privacy and support for patients and families.”

“I am excited about the expansion of the Children’s Hospital campus and the great promise it brings to all the children and families in our community,” said Betty Lauricella, donor and longtime member of the Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees. “A thriving community needs a strong children’s hospital, and I, along with my family, am pleased to support Children’s quest to be the premier choice for pediatric care in New Orleans and the region.”

As the hospital’s new “living room,” the Lauricella Pavilion will serve as a comfortable, light-filled gathering space for patients, families and visitors for decades to come. The Pavilion features gracious views down into the Children’s first-floor lobby and waiting area, as well as out onto Children’s Hospital green spaces. An elevated, glass-enclosed skybridge links the new parking garage to the Lauricella Pavilion.

The two-story, 13,710 square foot pavilion took 12 months to complete. The architect for the building is Atlanta-based firm EYP/SBS (Stanley, Beaman, Sears) and was constructed by Lafayette-based Lemoine Company. The connecting skybridge was built at Orleans Ironworks in New Orleans.

Betty Lauricella has served on the Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees for more than three decades and became the first woman to chair the Board in 1992. Every important initiative undertaken by Children’s Hospital during Betty’s tenure has benefitted from her wisdom and quiet leadership. Hank Lauricella was a real estate developer, a college football legend and served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. Together, the Lauricellas leave a lasting legacy of service to children that began in 1983 when Betty first joined the Board of Trustees, and continues through their son, Louis, who joined the Children’s Hospital Board in 2017.