MILWAUKEE — Nearly 20 years after American Family Children’s Hospital opened in 2007, the hospital is set to build out the facility’s vacant sixth floor.

The hospital announced plans Monday to expand the pediatric intensive care unit and add a dedicated cardiac intensive care unit.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to those who came before me to have the foresight when we added the children’s hospital years ago, we added a sixth floor that was a shelled space,” said Dr. Josh Ross, chief medical officer for American Family Children’s Hospital. “At the time, there was uncertainty about what’s the best use for the space.”

The project will include building 24 pediatric and cardiac intensive care beds, increasing the total bed count at the hospital to 131.

Hospital administrators aim to begin construction in 2026 and open the fully expanded facility at some point in 2027. The project is expected to cost $33 million.

The hospital is the only Level 1 pediatric trauma center in the region.

“There’s more and more need for service and pediatric expertise around our region,” Ross said. “Over the last few years, there have been more and more kids whom we haven’t been able to care for because of our capacity, and having one kid we can’t care for is one too many.”

Watch the full interview above.