Page 33 - SFHN March 2021

HEALTHCARE REAL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN & FACILITY PLANNING

The Ins and Outs of Health System Surge Planning

America’s hospitals and
healthcare workers continue to
be stretched thin battling the
COVID-19 pandemic. Looking
at the recent reports from the
University of Washington’s
Institute for Health Metrics and
Evaluation, which use the latest
data on every state’s intensive
care unit (ICU) and hospital
bed capacity as well as its social
distancing policies, many U.S.
states are once again facing bed BY BETH HILTONEN, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP AdventHealth Plan
shortages, this time due to the AND MICHAEL WILLIS, AIA, LEED AP maintains only one bed in each patient rooms and a full pandemic ward.
post-holiday surge. Working room in the intensive care unit and only Additionally, our team investigated ways
long hours and late nights, our floors and under normal circumstances one patient bed in negative air isolation to take advantage of the shell space, rec-
frontline heroes are not only running low utilizes 346 beds. Waterman is a 6-story rooms. ommending HVAC modifications and
on stamina and supplies - they’re also run- building that can typically accommodate The second tier takes advantage of clin- methods for piping medical gas to the area.
ning low on space. 300 beds. Additionally, Waterman’s new ical treatment areas that already have med- We provided a footprint for patient beds,
Last fall, we worked with our colleagues patient tower includes one floor of shell ical infrastructure in place, such as med- clean rooms, toilet rooms and support
to assist AdventHealth, a longtime space that was constructed while planning ical gasses and electrical supply. Our team spaces, as well as recommendations and
Gresham Smith client, in preparing their for future growth back in 2017. did bed calculations for operating rooms, pricing for portable headwalls and parti-
system for medical surge capacity, which is Using a template provided by prep and recovery areas, exam rooms, clin- tions.
defined by the CDC as a facility’s ability to AdventHealth, we began analyzing the ical treatment areas, cath labs and imaging Every hospital has its own floorplan,
provide adequate medical care during number of existing rooms and the number departments and created a floorplan for however starting with the numbers and
events that exceed the limits of their nor- of ancillary spaces that could be converted each scenario. staying organized, creating flexibility
mal medical infrastructure. Our team is to hold beds at each facility, keeping in The third tier plans for utilizing lobbies, through a tiered approach, and making
hopeful that AdventHealth won’t need to mind the spaces we would not touch: staff conference rooms, waiting areas and the sure the correct infrastructure is in place to
use their surge plan, but even while hop- lounges, offices or cafeterias. We entered chapel, understanding that these areas handle new configurations are key to suc-
ing for the best we’re also preparing for the the data in the spreadsheet as we went, uti- have no infrastructure in place - it’s only cessful surge planning. While we ultimate-
worst. lizing software to analyze the number of space. In this scenario it’s a full blown ly hope that AdventHealth will not have to
Keep reading to learn how we’re using beds possible for different surge levels. surge unit, however caring for patients rely on their medical surge plan, we hope
creative thinking to create a flexible, indoors is better than caring for patients that our healthcare heroes are prepared to
adaptable surge plan that will give health- Taking a Tiered Approach under an outdoor tent or in a parking provide critical care if and when that day
care providers the space and resources The uncertainty of the pandemic creates garage. comes.
they need to care for the communities we many question marks when it comes to
call home. critical care. To create flexibility, the team Investigating the Infrastructure Beth Hiltonen, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED, AP, is
developed three different tiers of care At AdventHealth’s Waterman campus, a senior interior designer in Gresham Smith’s
Looking at the Numbers within the surge plan. we worked with a local engineering firm to Jacksonville Healthcare studio.
To begin the surge planning process, our The first tier of the surge plan works understand how the hospital could alter
team re-oriented ourselves with the under the assumption that most patient the HVAC system to maximize space in Michael Willis, AIA, LEED, AP,
AdventHealth Altamonte Springs and rooms can be doubled up - instead of a sin- their nine operating rooms and an old car- is a senior architect in Gresham Smith’s
Waterman campuses, facilities that we’ve gle bed in the middle, two beds can be dio procedure area. By switching several of Tampa Healthcare studio.
had the pleasure of working on before. placed against the walls and still utilize the the rooms from positive to negative pres-
The Altamonte Springs hospital has six in-room medical gasses. The first tier also sure, the hospital could create isolation

Salah Foundation Children’s

Hospital Completes $52 Million Expansion of Neonatal ICU

Salah Foundation Childrenís Hospital
has completed a $52 million expansion
of its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
(NICU) that will enhance the immediate
and long-term outcomes of infants born
at risk. Designated as a Level III
Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center
(RPICC), this is one of only 11 RPICC
sites in Florida where a comprehensive
team of board-certified neonatologists,
nursing specialists and pediatric special-
ists provide comprehensive, multi-disci-
plinary care for critically ill newborns.
The three-year, two-phase expansion
transformed the original 63-bed, one- NICU1
floor open-concept ward at Salah
Foundation Childrenís Hospital into a state-of-the-art 70 private bed-unit on two
floors where families can stay overnight with their babies. The floors will be divided (l-r) Traci Grimaudo, RN, Nurse Manager of NICU; Robert Birdsong,
into Level III acute beds for more critical patients and a Level II progressive unit Chair of Broward Health Foundation; Heather Havericak, CEO of Salah Foundation
designed for babies ready to go home. The units will soon allow parents to see their Children’s Hospital; Dr. Johny Trzymel, Medical Director of NICU
babies when they arenít able to be present at their bedside with NICVIEW web cam- for the renovation, the focus of the NICU is on the needs of both infants and their
era system technology, and parents will be able to view their newborns 24/7 with a families and offers integrated services such as child life, music therapy and pastoral
secure password-protected video streaming technology. and social services.
Funded in part by the Broward Health Foundation, which raised $23 million dollars
South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com March 2021 33