Meeting demand for advanced cardiac care, the new hospital includes 96 inpatient beds, as well as diagnostic testing, outpatient services, rehabilitation care and physicians' offices all in one location. Consolidating these services within the medical campus was complicated by the need to include a Level I trauma center. The new structure also had to align with the existing hospital’s floor-to-floor height of less than 12 feet.
In response to the requirement for all private rooms, Christner studied a variety of nursing unit layouts that would optimize work flow and delivery of care. The selected configuration is a triple-corridor plan, which reduces steps for nurses and diminishes noise for patients. Three parallel corridors run the length of the building with patient rooms located on the perimeter corridors. The center corridor is designated for visitor and supply traffic, reducing noise and congestion near patient rooms. Nurse stations are distributed in pods with appropriate supply/support rooms nearby. This new model reduces travel time for nursing staff by 30% from previous models, allowing more time for direct bed-side patient care.
Size: 340,000 sf
Status: Completed 2006
Award: 2007 Construction Industry Best Practice Award, Honorable Mention, St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers
This striking facility creates a public entrance for the heart program with convenient access to all functions in the building. Stone walls and naturalistic landscaping are a theme that carries through the campus design.
The new, expanded Emergency Department has a separate ambulance and walk-in entrance on the north side of the building.
The nursing units are configured in a unique triple-corridor plan, effectively reducing noise around patient rooms and reducing travel time for nursing staff by 30% from previous models.
Interior aesthetic choices reflect a more relaxed, less sterile environment for increased patient comfort. The main lobby, with mezzanine above, adds natural warmth with wood and stone walls.
Soothing waiting areas with fireplaces and other specialty amenities, including a café, enhance family inclusion in patient care.
Private patient rooms include furnishings to allow family members to stay with the patient. Movable equipment allows each room to be quickly adapted for any level of care.
Emergency room nurse station houses both staff and supplies efficiently.
Separate emergency departments for pediatric and adult care deliver more specialized services. The children's waiting room evokes a sense of playfulness.
Cardiovascular operating rooms utilize ceiling booms to recapture valuable floor space.
