Boston Children's Hospital plans $640M psychiatric expansion

The intrigue: The new facility is backed by a historic $100 million gift from billionaire philanthropists Rob and Karen Hale.

• It's the largest donation in the hospital's history and the couple's biggest single gift.

By the numbers: The $640 million project will bring 116 new beds online across multiple care levels.

• The Children's system has 48 pediatric patients currently boarding statewide.
• Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for children in Massachusetts.

State of play: Children's says mental health demand has remained elevated after the pandemic, with the hospital once seeing over 90 children needing psychiatric care in a single emergency room day during May 2023.

What's next: The 10-acre Franciscan Children's campus in Brighton is only the initial phase, and hospital executives envision the gift will fund 10–20 years of continued expansion for clinical services, training and research.