In October 2007 Saint Alphonsus completed a $161 million renovation project to culminate in the state-of-the-art Center for Advanced Healing. The Center combines state-of-the-art medical technologies and treatments, evidenced-based architectural design principles proven to enhance healing, and highly skilled staff delivering care in ways that involve the patient and family in the healing process.
The new nine-story patient care tower is equipped with private rooms; a new 16-suite operating theatre; new Intensive Care Unit; and improved wayfinding and access. These new additions, along with enhancements to the existing facility, are designed to improve patient health outcomes, privacy, comfort, and safety.
Enhancements to the facility include the following:
- New 32-bed Intensive Care Unit
- New nine-story patient care tower built at a capacity for 32 beds per floor
- Private rooms that incorporate “care zones” for clinical staff and family members
- “Smart” beds that help reduce staff injuries and enhance patient care
- Increased square footage for the operating rooms
- New Kissler Family Library & Research Center
- Healing environments that take into account the benefits derived from a patient’s view out the window, the color and patterns on the wall to the healing art, to the healing arts and decor carefully
- A new circulation route around the campus to improve access to the facilities and wayfinding
The project architect was HDR.
While awaiting construction of a $161.2 million addition, St. Alphonsus renovated a nursing unit in 2003 to test out the research methodology it plans to use on the larger project:
- Noise levels were reduced by designing larger private rooms, adding carpet to hallways, putting acoustical tiles on walls and ceilings, and relocating machinery and nurse charting away from patients.
- Average decibel rate per patient room was less than 51.7.
- Quality of sleep improved from 4.9 to 7.3 (on a scale of 0-10).
- Patient satisfaction scores improved during a three-month comparison period.
The Pebble Project with Saint Alphonsus also expected to measure employee turnover, medical outcomes, length of stay, cost per unit of service, patient satisfaction, and organizational behaviors.