WHEREAS, Seattle Children's Hospital is a nonprofit hospital which specializes in meeting the unique physical, emotional, and developmental needs of children from infancy through young adulthood; and
     WHEREAS, For more than 100 years, Seattle Children's Hospital has been dedicated to providing top quality care to every child in our region who needs care, regardless of the family's ability to pay; and
     WHEREAS, Seattle Children's Hospital is consistently ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report magazine; and
     WHEREAS, More children and adults over the age of 30 are surviving cancer diagnoses today than ever before, but teens and young adults have not seen the same advances in treatment; and
     WHEREAS, Seattle Children's Hospital hopes to change that by offering more specialized care to this age group in the country's first cancer unit specifically designed for young adult patients; and
     WHEREAS, While some of these patients could be treated at hospitals for adults, research has shown that for certain types of cancer, teens and young adults have a better chance of survival when they are treated with pediatric protocols; and
     WHEREAS, Starting next month, cancer patients ages 15 to 29 will be treated in their own unit on the top floor of the new Building Hope facility at Seattle Children's Hospital; and
     WHEREAS, Building Hope will open in April 2013 and will include 80 private rooms for cancer and critical care patients, as well as a new emergency department; and
     WHEREAS, The expanded facility will allow Seattle Children's Hospital to handle its large volume of patients while delivering superior care to members of the community and surrounding regions;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize and honor the work of Seattle Children's Hospital and wholeheartedly support its continuing and expanding efforts to provide top quality care for our children.