Starship Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Starship Children's Health |
|
|---|---|
Southern entrance of the hospital.
|
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Auckland City, Auckland Region, New Zealand |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Auckland District Health Board |
| Hospital type | Teaching, specialist |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Beds | 219 |
| History | |
| Founded | 18 November 1991 |
Starship Children's Hospital is a special hospital just for kids and teens in Auckland, New Zealand. It opened on November 18, 1991. Starship was one of the first hospitals in New Zealand built especially for children. It is now the biggest children's hospital in the country. Even though it's a separate building, it's right next to Auckland City Hospital in Grafton. It's also very close to the Auckland Medical School.
Starship is part of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand. This is New Zealand's main health organization. Every year, more than 140,000 children visit Starship. The hospital also helps kids all over New Zealand. They do this through about 1000 "outreach clinics." Here, Starship doctors give advice to other doctors around the country.
Contents
Exploring Starship Hospital
The main Starship building first opened its doors on November 18, 1991. It was built on the same land as Auckland City Hospital. The name "Starship" was chosen to sound fun and exciting for kids and young people. It also matched the building's cool design.
What Does Starship Look Like?
The hospital has a big open space in the middle called an atrium. Lots of natural light shines in through the roof. This area is designed to look like a rainforest, complete with a playground! Each of the five floors has a different color. These colors have special meanings:
- Aqua: Represents the Pacific Ocean.
- Orange: Stands for the land.
- Blue: Means the sky.
- Yellow: Shows sunshine.
- Pink: Represents good health.
Medical Care at Starship
Starship offers many different health services for children. These include:
- Inpatient services: When kids stay overnight in the hospital.
- Outpatient services: When kids visit for appointments and go home the same day.
- Community services: Help for children with health needs or disabilities in their own communities. This includes programs like Safekids and Paediatric Home Care.
The main building has nine different wards. It can care for up to 219 children at one time. Besides the main hospital, Starship has clinics in other parts of Auckland. These are in Tamaki, West Auckland, and North Shore. Starship also works with about 45 "Outreach Clinics" across New Zealand.
Starship Hospital is the main place for children's serious injuries in the Auckland area. It also helps kids with very serious injuries from Northland and parts of the Waikato region. The Green Lane Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Service is also based at Starship. This team helps children and adults with heart problems they were born with. They provide care for people from all over New Zealand.
Fun and Support at Starship
A group of volunteers called Radio Lollipop runs a hospital radio station. They also visit children in the evenings. They bring games and entertainment to help kids feel better. The hospital also has places to buy food and a convenience store.
