RSC Architects designs Englewood Hospital’s cardiopulmonary unit to all single-occupancy

RSC Architects has completed the design of a newly renovated medical-surgical unit serving cardiopulmonary patients at New Jersey’s Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. It’s the latest in a series of ongoing renovations to improve the patient experience, promote healing, and prevent the spread of infection. The renovations of this multi-phase project have resulted in upgraded single-occupancy patient rooms, new waiting areas, family and patient lounges, and Care Team stations.

RSC Architects first redesigned a 13,000-square foot nursing unit on the hospital’s third floor. This northwest wing saw 14 double-bed semi private rooms and eight private patient rooms converted into 20 modern, private rooms each approximately 225 square feet. Phase one of the renovation, completed in late 2016, utilized the hospital’s own construction crew which allowed the hospital to have more control over the process and brought the final construction cost in under budget.

“Single occupancy rooms give patients more privacy and families more support space. It’s the latest trend in healthcare design,” says John P. Capazzi, AIA, President of RSC Architects. “For the interior, we’re using warm lighting and wooden accents to create an environment that promotes emotional and physical healing. The goal of the redesigned and renovated rooms is to create a hospitable atmosphere that puts an emphasis on patient care and well-being.

The rooms are designed to give patients and families greater flexibility and streamline staff accessibility to supplies. Each patient room has its own supply storage outside the door, reducing the distance nurses travel for supplies and allowing for restocking without disturbing the patient. This feature provides a calm, healing environment for the patient and a more efficient and effective process for the nurses and staff.

An interesting, yet functional, design feature is the advanced, flexible Willow Glass which covers the television, clock and other wall accents to help with infection prevention and to give the room a more streamlined look and feel. New lighting throughout the hospital rooms provides energy-efficient LED illumination that can be controlled by the patient for a customized level of brightness.

“The mission of this multi-phase modernization project is to reduce the stark clinical feel of older patient rooms into a warm, hospitable environment,” says Pasquale Avallone, LEED AP, Healthcare Manager of RSC Architects. “We used a modular manufactured construction method on the headwalls and footwalls of the rooms so we could embed the necessary technology, like medical gas outlets. We made sure our design allows for flexibility to update systems with new innovations in the field.”

As part of phase one, RSC designed a waiting area leading into the third-floor patient care unit, three decentralized care team stations that allow for supervision throughout the unit, a patient lounge, and staff and patient support spaces that meet functional and licensing requirements. The challenges of this project included formulating a cohesive design that fit within the tight existing floor plan and dividing a long corridor without disrupting the operational flow.

“Given our rich history and focus on what’s best for patients, it was important for us to work with an established and reputable firm like RSC Architects on the renovation of our patient rooms. The patients and staff love the upgraded comfort and accessibility,” says Warren Geller, CEO of Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. “We felt RSC understood the needs of a healthcare facility and could create a design based on healthcare trends that optimized functionality for our staff while providing more hospitable healing spaces for our patients.”

Additional components of each new room include:

• Private bathroom
• 40-inch high definition television
• Couch that converts to a bed for family members
• Multiple power/USB outlets to charge phones, tablets and laptops

Founded in 1890, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is a leading provider of high-quality, comprehensive, and humanistic care serving northern New Jersey and beyond. It is nationally recognized for its cardiac surgery and cardiac care, breast imaging and cancer care, spine surgery, orthopedic surgery, and maternity care, and is an international leader in patient blood management and bloodless surgery. Employing over 3,000 people in New Jersey, the hospital had more than 17,500 patient admissions in 2016 alone.