A new inpatient pediatric unit opened last week at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital on the fifth floor of the Fred Jaindl Family Pavilion on the Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Cedar Crest campus.

The unit features 30 private rooms and has a number of amenities and features designed to give young patients a comforting place to get well and families space to support young patients during their hospital stay.

The opening of the unit is part of a plan that will bring services from more than 30 pediatric specialties under one roof at the Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

“It’s a difficult time for families when a child needs hospital care,” J. Nathan Hagstrom, physician-in-chief for the children’s hospital, said at a special media tour of the new unit Feb. 6, the day before patients moved into the unit. “With this unit, we give families peace of mind from knowing they will receive quality care close to home in a place designed for the specific needs of children and their loved ones.”

The new pediatric unit, at 24,000 square feet, has more than twice the space of the previous pediatric unit at the children’s hospital. The new unit was designed to have a child-friendly environment that includes patient rooms identifiable by colorful animals such as the “Blue Bear” room or “Red Rabbit” room. The animals are outlined on the room doors in the same color as the paint on the portal, the color of which begins with the initial letter of the animal’s name.

Each room has a sleeper sofa for parents to spend the night and a desk for parents who need to work while supporting their child. A family lounge on the unit has a bathroom, shower, washer and dryer, refrigerator and refreshment area which families can use and a computer area is available.

The opening of the pediatric unit is part of the growth planned for the children’s hospital following a generous gift from local business owners and philanthropists J.B. and Kathleen Reilly.

Construction is underway on a dedicated lobby for Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital that will open in the spring of this year.

Expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric intensive care unit and development of surgical and community health services for children also are planned.