Project: Community Hospital in McCook, Nebraska
The Omaha, Nebraska-based HDR Architecture, which ranked #1 in Modern Healthcare’s 2012 Annual Construction & Design Survey of Healthcare Architects, had more than just adaptability in mind when designing the Community Hospital in McCook, Nebraska.
“In today’s healthcare reform environment, the most challenging facility design issue is adaptability to changing models of care delivery,” says Hank Adams, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, the firm’s Director of Healthcare. “Well-designed healthcare facilities should serve as a flexible platform, where the changing clinical and functional needs can adapt with minimal cost and impact to operations. A modern healthcare facility will likely be repurposed and renovated multiple times during its full lifecycle.”
The Community Hospital has 25 private rooms with residential-like laminate wood floors, and paneled headwalls to store staff supplies and equipment. Flat-screen HDTVs on walls painted in soft shades of green and rust blend with the wood accents. And there’s ample family and caregiver space, including sleeper couches in each room and lounge areas stocked with snacks and drinks. Patient rooms are positioned in a symmetrical rhythm along a long corridor.
Located directly outside of each patient room is a viewing window with blinds allowing nurses to monitor two rooms at a time, while working from a small recessed desk. Decentralized caregiver workstations can be found throughout the facility. Safety and security features are in place everywhere, monitored by key card access.
Carpeted public hallways are flanked with stone accents while caregiver areas are designed with color-coded laminate wood floors. Staff-only areas used for surgeries are on floors made with a mix of poured tile without seams to prevent bacteria from lodging in the cracks.
“In this new era of healthcare reform, our clients are clearly seeking greater value from their investments in new healthcare facilities,” says Adams. Valued measure by return on investment, not just construction cost. “This places emphasis on creative design solutions which truly maximize operational efficiency, space utilization, and functional flexibility while maintaining a distinctive patient-centered environment. Great healthcare design finds the right balance.”
Literally. In the healing and butterfly gardens, balance and harmony with nature are easy to access.
