T. Denny Sanford Pediatric Center

The T. Denny Sanford Pediatric Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., exemplifies the depth of Mayo's commitment to providing the highest-quality, coordinated care to the more than 45,000 children and their families who come to Mayo each year. Designed as a central location, where doctors in many different specialties are located, the Pediatric Center is a convenient, reassuring and welcoming environment.

The Pediatric Center combines nearly all of Mayo's Pediatric services — including Orthopedics, Dermatology, Neurology, Pain Clinic, Psychology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Radiology, Hematology, Oncology, Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases, Allergy, Immunology, Pulmonology, Endocrinology, the Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida Clinic, and the Pediatric Diagnostic and Referral Center — allowing most children to receive all their outpatient care at this single locale, as opposed to traveling to multiple locations throughout the Mayo Clinic Rochester campus.

A Nature Environment

While the central location significantly helps reduce stress by allowing families the opportunity to relax between appointments, the nature décor of the center also was designed to provide a calming and welcoming ambience for all ages.

Featuring a theme that celebrates wildlife of the Upper Midwest, the center surrounds visitors with depictions of nature, from floor-to-ceiling birch trees to a representation of the Mississippi River that winds through the center floor to the "Discovery Wall" — a glass sculpture scene showcasing fish and other freshwater creatures. Additionally, a webcam in the Discovery Wall offers visitors live views of wild animals from the Minnesota Zoo. Colorful mosaic murals depict the four habitats of forests, lakes, prairies and wetlands.

Special Features

Patient rooms and hallways are nature-themed and include displays of more than 900 ceramic tiles made by children between the ages of 3 and 18.

Every detail was considered when designing the center, with the patient's comfort always top of mind. Furniture, restrooms, sinks and drinking fountains all offer several different heights or sizes to choose from, and artwork and design were selected to appeal to all ages.

An education area in the Pediatric Center offers brochures on a range of health topics, as well as computers with Internet access. Additionally, several private areas are available for relaxation, including a room specifically designed for breast-feeding.

T. Denny Sanford

The Pediatric Center is named after South Dakota-based benefactor, T. Denny Sanford, who provided a major contribution to the initiative. Mr. Sanford has a special interest in supporting organizations and groups that focus on the needs of children. Twenty-eight other benefactors also generously contributed to the Pediatric Center.