 The hospital was created in February 1986 when the School of Medicine and the hospitals pediatric services were all consolidated.Before the Children's Hospital was created, approximately 24 beds were designated for pediatric patients and two beds in the newborn nursery were reserved as neonatal intensive care beds when the new hospital opened in April 1977.On July 1, 1978, a 33-bed neonatal intensive care unit was opened; in February 1985 a new pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was constructed.