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August 11, 2025
GREEN BAY – A local healthcare facility with nearly 140 years of experience caring for its community is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its dedicated children’s hospital – the only one in the Greater Green Bay area, Amy Bardon – director of nursing at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital – said.
“Back in 2015, HSHS leaders recognized our physical spaces needed to match our team’s
advanced level of expertise,” she. “They wanted our hospital to showcase our dedication to kids and our community.”
When HSHS leadership established the children’s hospital and became a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, Bardon said a “transformation began” that “truly continues to this day.”
“We’re proud to offer expert, specialized care for children right here in Green Bay, so families don’t have to travel far to find the high-quality care their kids deserve,” she said. “Our dedicated team is deeply rooted in this region, and we’re committed to delivering compassionate, cutting-edge care close to home – now and for generations to come.”
Prioritizing patient, family comfort
HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital, Public Relations and Communications Director Angela Deja said, is part of a nonprofit healthcare organization – which Bardon said “speaks to [its] legacy here, and also to what the future holds.”
“[I’m blessed] to be part of, I would say, a health organization that truly does embrace their community involvement,” Bardon said.
Though she’s only been with the children’s hospital for a year, Bardon said it’s not difficult to understand and witness the impact it has made on the Greater Green Bay community and beyond.
“[Through] our partnerships with the community, our partnerships with rural hospitals, providing telehealth services – [we’re] extending our expertise to create value for everyone, even if you’re not physically here at HSHS,” she said.
Even prior to 2015, Bardon said HSHS St. Vincent Hospital had a pediatric department with combined centuries of experience – of which, she said, patients are still enjoying the value of today.
“Our NICU (neonatal intensive care unit)… has been around for more than 50 years,” she said. “[So, we have] a highly skilled, highly technical team that brings more than 850 years of experience to the care they provide.”
Bardon said other major accomplishments the children’s hospital is celebrating during its 10-year milestone include the expansion of its pediatric care unit and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
“In 2022, the entire pediatric wing… was renovated and redesigned with children in mind – creating a state-of-the-art environment that supports the highest level of care for infants, children and young adults,” she said.
Beyond the children’s hospital’s care spaces, Deja said the project also involved modernizing the teen and family lounge.
“The family lounge at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital – located just steps away from our patient rooms – is stocked with food and beverages for families to help them remain close to their loved ones,” she said. “It offers families a peaceful and supportive environment throughout their child’s stay.”
Bardon said the children’s hospital further prioritizes the comfort of both its patients and their families by employing “the most robust team of certified child life specialists in the Green Bay region.”
“I would call them our ‘special sauce’ for providing high-quality care for both kids and families,” she said. “Child life specialists are a really unique and dynamic part of the healthcare team.”
Bardon said child life specialists are responsible for guiding children, siblings and even parents “through challenging hospital and healthcare experiences.”
“They bring play and therapy to a situation that is both scary for the kids and their families,” she said.
The unique and dynamic aspects of its child life specialist team, Bardon said, “speaks to HSHS [St. Vincent’s] mission and vision.”
“That’s proactive to be able to provide that comfortable, safe environment for the children we serve and their families,” she said. “Many times, our parents and our families will let us know how important those [child life specialists] were to their journey because it’s scary for everyone involved.”
Incorporating technology into care
Beyond the staff at the children’s hospital, Bardon said HSHS has also made significant investments in the facility’s technology.
“As technology changes in health care, it also changes around all of us daily,” she said. “So, I think it’s really important to be innovative and creative in how we provide care.”
An example of how HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital is integrating technology into its facilities, and therefore its care, Deja said, is the hospital’s “18-foot-wide by 8-foot-tall video wall made up of 32-, 55-inch TVs.”
“Several different backgrounds and displays were designed to provide comfort to patients and their families,” she said.
Deja said these specially designed displays include scenes such as nighttime on a lake, a full moon, a flickering campfire and fireflies.
“[These backgrounds help] put families at ease and allow your imagination to bring you somewhere else outside of the hospital setting,” she said. “In addition to changing backgrounds, the wall has interactive components that make it exciting for children to take walks outside of their rooms because they get to play games or watch a movie on the big screen.”
Bardon said providing a pediatric care team with innovative tools, such as the video wall, is paramount to inspiring innovative care.
“HSHS is looking at [supporting the] growth and development of their caregivers, which leads to innovation and creativity in the care that we’re providing,” she said. “I think that’s really important, especially when you’re dealing with children – to meet them on their level.”
The Kitten Scanner, Bardon said, is another example of a tool the HSHS St. Vincent pediatric team will soon have at its disposal.
“Many of the patients we serve require imaging to help with their diagnosis,” she said. “For children, [it can be] very scary going into an MRI machine,” she said. “[The Kitten Scanner] is a child-size, interactive way to explain what they’re going to go through when they have an MRI.”
Deja said The Kitten Scanner was funded by “a generous community donor” – which Bardon said re-emphasizes the significance of the hospital’s presence in Green Bay.
“We have a great partnership with our foundation here,” Bardon said. “It’s just another example of the community support [we receive] to be able to provide creative, innovative care for these kids.”
Feeling supported – especially in a pediatric unit – is of utmost importance for her and her team, Bardon said, as they give their all to their patients.
“The care team refers to them as their friends,” she said. “That chokes me up, [because] they really embrace everything they’re doing to provide that highly compassionate experience, which, many times, is [also] highly technical. I think sometimes the kids don’t even really realize what’s going on, and that’s where the resilience comes in.”
To learn more about HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital, visit hshs.org.
