On October 27, the community had a chance to view mockup rooms of our inpatient, ambulatory and medical clinic rooms for the new medical campus. The full-size prototype rooms were built at the old Melissa's Hope Chest in the South Ridge Plaza, giving personal and the community a chance to see how the designs would work in real life with real beds, furniture and medical equipment in the rooms.  

"I think this step improves the quality and safety of care for our patients," said hospital CEO Kayleen Lee. "We're at a point in health care that we need to make sure we're doing it right the first time. There is no room for duplication of efforts. We're really working hard to make sure we have it the way we need right away."

Some of the goals are to reduce patient fall and potential errors.

"We're also are looking to increase our productivity," Lee said. "One of the biggest factors for patient satisfaction as well as staff satisfaction is making sure that supplies that are needed are at the hands of our providers."

Several changes have been made to the original design because of the mockup rooms.

"One of the first things that we identified when we built the bathroom according to the first plans was that it was not going to be big enough," Lee said. "By doing several adjustments here in the mockup rooms, we could expand that. On paper, the original plan looked good and met the standards, but it wasn't the size we wanted."

 

Architects designed a unique 'Town Center' approach to the new building, creating an inviting atmostphere without long hallways and pathways. 

The most prominent architectural features of the new building include the patient wing area. Located near the back of the hospital, patient rooms have large 8 x 8 windows overlooking a small pond and a healing garden. 

SIOUX CENTER , Iowa – On September 1, 2011, board members of the Sioux Center Community Hospital & Health Center Avera approved a motion to move forward with the design of the new hospital and medical clinic.

The design of the new medical campus was created by HGA Architects and Engineers of Minneapolis and Cannon Moss Brygger Architects of Sioux City.

“The new facility will be a remarkable landmark for Sioux Center and will symbolize our commitment to healthcare,” says Kayleen Lee, CEO. “The campus will act as a ‘medical center’ for our patients and we can’t wait for them to experience it.”

The current slogan for the new facility is ‘Built around You,’ which emphasizes that good architectural design is driven by the way you experience it from the inside looking out.

“The building is visually appealing, but more importantly it connects with nature and allows patients and families to experience a total healing environment. People feel good when they are close to their family, friends and nature,” said Kayleen.

The new facility is expected to begin construction in 2012 and near completion in the fall of 2013. The total project will take approximately 18 months to complete and the estimated size of the new facility is 123,500 sq ft.

Read the rest of this post »