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At first, it may not seem like a hospi-
tal: the private rooms are large enough
to accommodate visitors, the vast win-
dows let in natural light, the walls and
floors feature a soothing earth-toned
palette, and the beds have pressure-
reducing mattresses for healing com-
fort.
No need to click your heels. It's
meant to feel likehome.
According to recent research, hospi-
tal design elements-like paint color and
room layout-play a part in patients'
well-being. This evidence-based design
is integrated in the South Pavilion, the
newest building on the St. Mary Mercy
campus scheduled to open this fall.
“There is evidence that people will
heal quicker and faster if they are at
home, if they are comfortable in the
space they are in, and if family mem-
bers can be with them and stay with
them,” said Sarah Gilbert, director of
StrategicCapital Projects.
The rooms and the floor plans were
created based on how patients, families
and caregivers use the areas. For exam-
ple, each new private room has several
features to help patients recover,
including a large window to let in natu-
ral light and a barrier-free bathroom
with a handheld shower and “no curb”
to step over. Sound insulation in the
walls helps reduce noise between
rooms.
In addition, features that help
reduce patient falls were added to the
rooms: additional night-lights help illu-
minate pathways around the room, and
the caregiver sink countertop that
wraps around the wall functions as an
additional support for patients.
As part of creating a healing atmos-
phere, windows throughout the build-
ingweremaximized to bring in asmuch
natural sunlight as possible. In the
patient rooms, the bathrooms were
placed inboard, close to the entrance of
the room, to accommodate the biggest
window the roomcouldhold.
Each window measures 6 feet tall
and 11 feet across, spanning the width
of the room. On the second and third
floors, the patient rooms form the out-
side of the “racetrack” layout, a design
that helps caregivers to efficiently
attend to patients. For example, nurses
will have access to supplies, equipment
and patient medication in four zones
around the racetrack, keeping them
close to the patient bedside.
Stepping inside the South Pavilion is
meant to feel like the outdoors: design
elements, such as the curves on the
walls, allude to streams and valleys.
The interior colors-greens, blues and
browns- are colors seen in nature.
These features, including natural sun-
light throughout the building, create a
healing environment and the connec-
tion to nature.
“This new design encourages heal-
ing in body, mind and spirit,” saidDavid
Spivey, president and CEO, St. Mary
Mercy Hospital. “We want our patients
to experience a serene environment so
they heal well and can return to their
daily activities, which supports a
healthy and vibrant community.”
After the South Pavilion is complet-
ed, 90 existing semiprivate patient
rooms on the north campus will be ren-
ovated tomatch the new look. The exist-
ing rooms will be updated to have the
same features, including the flooring
and paint color, as the design in the
SouthPavilion.
For more information and to view
photos and videos of the construction
project, visit stmarymercy.org/construc-
tionupdates.
This new design
encourages healing
in body, mind and spirit.
David Spivey
”
Healing by design
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