St. Mary’s Medical Center is again helping lead the way in advanced patient care with the opening of its new $19 million Intensive Care Units (ICU).
The medical center has just wrapped up construction and renovation on new space for the Medical ICU, Neurotrauma ICU and specialized Cardiovascular ICU. After 14 months of construction and years of planning, staff and patients began using the space – all 43,000 square feet of it – last week.
“We felt the time was right to start the expansion and construction for several reasons,” said Tim Parnell, St. Mary’s vice president of support services, planning and development.
“We felt the current ICUs were undersized to meet today’s standard,” he said. “The previous patient rooms were properly sized for the time period in which they were constructed, but were in need of updating. The increase in the size of the rooms is crucial because you’re treating critical patients who often require more than one care provider in the room at a time.”
Parnell said increasing the room size enabled St. Mary’s to provide patients with new, state-of-the-art technology for their treatment.
“Also, we knew there was a need for increased space for friends and family who would come to visit our patients,” he continued. “So, we’ve enhanced our family support area with multiple waiting areas that include kitchens and shower facilities, sub-waiting rooms for conferences with physicians, an expanded family area inside the rooms and a central courtyard area.”
Patients first
The former ICU included three 10-bed units designed in a horseshoe shape and located on the third floor. Those rooms had fixed position monitors and equipment. The new units provide more space and more flexibility.
Moving down to the second floor, the three new intensive care units — renamed Medical, Neurotrauma and Cardiovascular — are laid out in the best way to facilitate a seamless flow for nurses and staff who might move between the units. The number of beds has increased from 30 to 34, with the Cardiovascular and Medical units each picking up two beds.
Patient rooms have nearly doubled in size in all units and are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.
“The biggest thing we’re gaining with this move is, without a doubt, the equipment,” Todd Jimison, clinical manager of the Medical and Neurotrauma ICUs, said. “It’s the latest and greatest.”
Each patient room is equipped with new monitors and computers for charting, as well as telescoping latitude arms, which are designed to move equipment off a fixed point, such as at the head of a patient’s bed, and make workspace more flexible for staff.
“This technology is going to allow the nurses to work in the room more freely and give them the opportunity to move the bed if they need to,” Barbie Barnhart, clinical manager of the Cardiovascular ICU, said.
The rooms are designed with three accent colors, large windows with views of new landscaping and flat-screen televisions. Family members can take advantage of an expanded family zone within the rooms, which includes a recliner, bariatric chair and drop-leaf table with data receptacles.
A decentralized nursing station with observation windows into each room is located between every two rooms. This allows nurses to maintain closer contact with patients. There also are observation windows inside each room, allowing nurses to view the patient next door while taking care of the patient at hand.
Additional thought was given to making the units accessible to other areas of the hospital. A direct connecting corridor from the Regional Heart Institute was put in place to allow for direct ICU admitting.
Family care
“We designed the space to be able to provide the best opportunity to care for our patients, but we made things nice for families, too,” Barnhart said.
To that end, families of ICU patients will have access to three separate ICU waiting areas, with a capacity of nearly 40 people in each unit. Waiting rooms are designed with oversized furniture and hardwood floors to give it a home-like feel. Kitchen areas offer vending machines, coffee pots and microwaves, and shower facilities have lockers. The waiting areas were designed with access to an outside courtyard with benches and landscaping.
“We look at the courtyard as a great de-stressing environment for both patients and family members,” Parnell said.
Barnhart said the entire project has received generous support and care from members of hospital administration, the staff and the Pallottine Missionary Sisters.
“You can tell this is a Christian hospital because of the care and compassion that goes into everything that is done,” Barnhart said. “The Sisters have been wonderful to provide for us, listen to all the things we’ve said and allow us to be involved for the betterment of our patients and the community.”
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