Demand growing for children's health services

The Alexian Brothers Health System cites these statistics supporting demand for its new children's hospital in Hoffman Estates, which will break ground this spring.

&bul; The population of infants, toddlers and adolescents in the Northwest suburbs is expected to increase by 25 percent over the next 25 years.

&bul; Chronic disease among children is growing rapidly and 20 percent of U.S. households have at least one child with special needs.

&bul; Premature births have increased 30 percent over the last 20 years, increasing the demand for specialized newborn care.

&bul; Children with chronic diseases have three times the physician contacts and hospital admissions and eight times the average length of hospital stay, compared to children not affected.

&bul; Low-weight births in the area have increased from 6.5 percent to 7.3 percent of live births.

&bul; Nearly 1 in 5 youth between the ages of 6 and 19 is considered obese and as a result may face future conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or orthopedic problems.

&bul; Asthma in children in the Northwest suburbs has risen from 11 to 15 percent.

&bul; In addition to chronic disease, studies show that 8 percent of children are diagnosed with learning disabilities and behavioral health problems.

&bul; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that on average one in every 110 children in the country suffers from autism or autism spectrum disorder.

&bul; The prevalence of ADHD and ADD in children is between 3 and 7 percent, which is associated with psychiatric conditions such as learning disorders, depression, anxiety, personality disorders and substance abuse.

Source: Alexian Brothers Health System