Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 6, 1994 TAG: 9401060233
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The nine-story building will have state-of-the-art technology in the emergency room and trauma center, the intensive- and progressive-care units and the operating rooms.
The glass-exterior building will contain all of the acute care and surgical facilities now located in old wings of the hospital, some of which date back to the 1920s and will be torn down after they are vacated.
The hospital will begin moving patients into the new structure this weekend, but it will take two months to complete the move.
Construction workers are still putting the finishing touches on the lower floors, which will be called the South Pavilion.
Hospital officials said Wednesday the structure is best described as a replacement facility, not an expansion project.
There will be an increase in beds for intensive- and progressive-care units, coronary care and surgery, but there will be no major overall increase in beds. The hospital is licensed for 675 beds, but it is staffed for 460.
"This is a facility which will enable us to move care for our patients into the 21st century," said Houston Bell Jr., president and chief executive officer.
"Now we have the technology and environment to do a better job of caring for our patients," Bell said.
Planning for the addition started in 1987. The project has been on a fast track since construction began in 1991, with design work continuing even as the structure began to take shape.
The addition includes a helicopter pad on the roof, so patients needing emergency care can be delivered to the hospital more quickly. There is an extra-large elevator to take patients immediately to the emergency and trauma center on the first floor.
Bell said the new emergency room will also provide faster access for emergency vehicles bringing patients to the hospital.
The new building contains two floors designated for services provided by the Roanoke Memorial Regional Heart Center.
The hospital has expanded its cardiac care facilities to meet the growing demand for heart surgery and coronary care.
The hospital now performs about 800 heart operations a year. It also provides 3,300 catheterizations and other heart procedures.
The expanded, state-of-the art facilities will enable the hospital to provide more timely services to heart patients, said Steve Purves, chief operating officer for the hospital and administrator for the heart center.
The hospital will have the capacity to perform up to five open-heart operations daily instead of three to four as it does now. This will mean shorter waiting periods for the surgery.
The addition will have fully monitored beds, which will enable nurses and doctors to keep closer check on patients' conditions.
The monitoring technology will provide the hospital staff access to all monitors from any point.
The top three floors contain intensive-care units and progressive-care units.
Progressive care handles patients who no longer need intensive care, yet still need close monitoring and special nursing.
Bell said the hospital will have more flexibility in providing different levels of care. This will help reduce the need for transfers and save money, he said.
Phyllis Wertz, director of patient-care services for the hospital, said the building is designed so the staff can provide services faster and more efficiently. Features as detailed as reducing the number of steps between nursing stations and beds are included in the structure.
The addition provides more natural light with its glass exterior and creates a better environment for patients. Hospital officials said many of the intensive- and progressive-care units in the old building are cramped and dimly lighted.
"The design and environment in the [new structure] will have a therapeutic effect on the patients," Bell said.
Visitor waiting areas are bright, roomy and comfortable, with convenient bathrooms.
Bonnie Farriss, nurse manager who oversees the emergency room and trauma center, said the new facilities will enable the hospital to better serve the growing demand for emergency care.
The hospital is treating about 28,000 people annually in the emergency room and trauma center; about 30 percent are admitted.
Farriss said the design and size of the new emergency room will help the staff provide better care. The current facilities are cramped and outdated, she said.
A new nursing communication system will improve staff movement in the intensive- and progressive-care units. As nurses and other staff enter patient rooms, they will push a button, activating a light over the door in the hall. The color of the light tells other staff who is in the room.
An open house for the addition will be held Saturday and Sunday from 1 and 5 p.m. The public is invited to tour the facilities, Bell said.
\ FACTS ON SOUTH PAVILION\ \ The building is enclosed by more than 5,000 pieces of glass and 200 tons of granite.\ \ If all the concrete used in the project were made into a standard sidewalk, it would stretch from Roanoke to Greensboro, N.C.\ \ The structure is 50,000 square feet larger than the rest of the hospital, but it appears smaller because the glass exterior reflects its surroundings and blends into the mountain.\ \ If the pavilion was made of brick to match the rest of the hospital, it would look much larger.\ \ There are more than 900 doors and 900 signs inside the building. It contains 13,344 fluorescent light bulbs.\ \ Nearly 4,900 gallons of paint were required for the interior. The elevators travel at 500 feet per minute. The helicopter touch pad on the roof will reduce the emergency transport by several minutes. It will reduce the number of times patients are transferred from stretcher to stretcher, providing less movement of the critically ill or injured. The pad can be dismantled and moved.\ \ The building is capable of supporting another five floors if it becomes necessary for the hospital to expand or replace outdated facilities. The budget for the building was $55 million, with $43 million for the actual construction. The rest was spent on architect and engineer fees, finance costs, environment and soil testing, landscape, equipment, food service and other consultants.\ \ Patients will be moved into the new addition one at a time, accompanied by a medical team which can provide any necessary care en route. Patient moves of this kind are not unusual.
by CNB