Children’s Hospital New Orleans dedicates ‘Bella’s Room’ ComfortCare Suite, made possible with the generous support of the Bella Bowman Foundation

The Bella Bowman Foundation partnered with Children’s Hospital New Orleans to create the hospital’s first ComfortCare Suite for pediatric patients and their families facing end of life.

NEW ORLEANS – Today Children’s Hospital celebrated the opening of “Bella’s Room”, a ComfortCare suite designed to serve as a sanctuary for children in need of end-of-life care and their families. Bella’s Room, which was made possible through the generous support of the Bella Bowman Foundation, consists of a three-room suite located on the 6th floor of the hospital with views of the Mississippi River.

Bella’s Room will amplify the level of care that the Palliative Care team at Children’s Hospital provides for patients and families nearing end of life, as an oasis for patients and their families. The suite provides a comforting, home-like environment with a patient room to continue medical care for the child, an adjourning room designed for families to sleep and experience respite, a private bathroom, and a third room that serves as a gathering place for extended family and friends.

“With the generous support of the Bella Bowman Foundation, honoring Bella’s lasting legacy, Bella’s Room will transform the way children and families across Louisiana and the Gulf South experience serious illness and end of life care,” said Lindsey Casey, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “This beautiful space will help our team provide family-centered end of life care, while offering a comfortable and serene home-like setting for the entire family to be a part of the care experience.”

“Today signifies 13 years since Bella’s passing and this very special project honors Bella’s legacy,” said Trey Bowman, President of the Bella Bowman Foundation and Bella’s father. “We are incredibly proud to see this vision come to life today, and to know that Bella’s Room will help provide an additional level of ComfortCare and support for patients and families facing palliative and end-of-life care.”

Bella’s Room was designed by architecture firm EskewDumezRipple+ and constructed by Fidelis Construction. The ComfortCare suite allows for expert, compassionate medical care, relieving some of the discomfort and stress of illness, while offering psychosocial support to the family, and the time and space to focus on making every moment as meaningful as possible.

“We are grateful for the commitment of the Bella Bowman Foundation to take their difficult journey and in return do something incredibly positive for others facing similar unimaginable experiences,” says Dr. Ashley Autrey, Service Line Chief for Pediatric Palliative Care at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “The Bella Bowman Foundation’s generous commitment will help our team deliver countless meaningful experiences for families that will last a lifetime.”

The Pelican Krewe at Children’s Hospital New Orleans consists of a Pediatric Palliative Care team of doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual care experts, integrative therapists, and music therapy to care for the body, mind, and spirit of children and families living with serious illness. The team provides palliative care to patients of any age and at any stage of serious illness, supporting treatment for underlying illnesses while striving for the best possible quality of life to make each day the best day possible.

For 70 years, Children’s Hospital New Orleans has proudly served as Louisiana’s only freestanding, comprehensive children’s hospital with more than 700 pediatric-trained providers and 3,000 employees solely dedicated to the care of kids. In addition to comprehensive services offered at its main campus in New Orleans, Children’s operates a robust network of more than 30 satellite locations, pediatric affiliations across Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and robust and long-serving community programs designed to meet the health needs of the diverse communities it serves. Learn more about the Pelican Krewe and Children’s Hospital at chnola.org.

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About Children’s Hospital New Orleans
Children’s Hospital New Orleans is a 263-bed, non-profit academic pediatric medical center that offers comprehensive healthcare services, including over 40 pediatric specialties, delivered just for children. With more than 600 pediatric providers, Children’s offers a comprehensive array of pediatric healthcare services in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In addition to its main campus located in New Orleans, the hospital operates a network of specialty clinics across Louisiana, including in Covington, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lafayette, and Diamondhead, MS. Children’s offers primary care services at 14 convenient locations and remotely via its Virtual Care for Kids program. Children’s is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system which also includes New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, West Jefferson Medical Center, East Jefferson General Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, and Lakeside Hospital. Learn more at chnola.org.

About The Bella Bowman Foundation
The Bella Bowman Foundation aims to create and support research initiatives for pediatric brain cancer, fund educational opportunities and offer non-medical comfort care to children diagnosed with cancer and the families who care for them. The Bella Bowman Foundation has the unique ability to provide support for emerging challenges that a family faces following a child's diagnosis of cancer and end-of-life care. The Bella Bowman Foundation was founded in 2012 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit www.bellabowman.org for more information.