By Healthcare Facilities Today

Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mount Vernon, Ill., a healthcare project that was stalled by the economic downturn used the extra time to incorporate innovations and  strengthen relationships, according to an article on the Medical Construction & Design website.

While construction was stalled, the project team continued to build relationships with each other and the community. The time was used to strategize additional ways to involve more local firms, eliminate waste and improve productivity, the article said.

The new hospital consists of a garden level and five floors with 134 all-private rooms with multiple flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. Design features include decentralized nurses’ stations to reduce the distance between patients and caregivers, music and art throughout the facility to promote a healing environment, green concepts for energy savings and a family zone in patient rooms for loved ones to stay overnight.

The hospital additionally features electronic medical records, a sophisticated security system to ensure the safety of all newborns and operating rooms with video integration, according to the article.

Each operating room features a video monitor that can display patient information and an X-ray, scan or video when cameras are used during a medical procedure. Most patient rooms feature patient lifts and are equipped with advanced call systems.

“The hospital’s design combines a holistic healing approach with evidence-based design,” Derek Selke, director of architecture and lead designer on the project for BSA LifeStructures, said in the article. “The configuration of the caregiver stations provides constant interaction with the patient and allows support functions to be located in the core of the nursing unit.”

Read the article.