The Christ Hospital performed the first ceramic hip replacement in the U.S. in 1982. And now the healthcare network’s main campus in Mt. Auburn, Ohio, near Cincinnati, is one of the first in the nation to provide comprehensive orthopedic and spine care, education, and clinical research in one location.
Last September, the hospital started receiving patients at its Joint and Spine Center, which adds 87 private patient rooms and 12 operating rooms with state-of-the-art surgical suites to a campus where, previously, joint and spinal care facilities had operated out of a series of buildings.
The hospital did not disclose the cost of this facility, although the Cincinnati Business Courier and other news outlets reported that its price tag was $280 million.
Some of Christ Hospital’s buildings dated back to 1889, and had aged to the point where they couldn’t respond to modern healthcare needs. In 2010, the hospital began working with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to devise a master plan to centralize its facilities, beginning with the Joint and Spine Center, with 381,000 gross square feet within seven stories, whose construction began in October 2011 and was completed in May 2015.
By bringing these specialties within one roof, the hospital sought to streamline patient care, and improve hospital staff efficiency.
SOM worked closely with the hospital’s healthcare professionals and patients to come up with a user-friendly design. “From the patient room outwards, the design supports individuals, families, and their caregivers in the recovery process and makes visible The Christ Hospital’s vital role in Cincinnati and the region,” says Brian Lee, FAIA, Design Partner at SOM.
The master plan clarifies the campus’s circulation and unlocked the decades-old aggregation of additions. A new concourse and entry link the Joint and Spine Center to existing buildings and connect the Center to a new parking garage via a skybridge. The north-south alignment of utilities and vehicular and pedestrian movement enables future expansion of the campus to the south.
The design team brought order to a color-coded wayfinding system that had grown into a complex patchwork of over 20 colors, by introducing a new scheme focused on simplicity and clarity.
That Center’s design, which specified 100,000 sf of glass, lets abundant natural lighting into the building, especially within patient rooms that also provide outside views that support well-being. Those rectangular rooms have wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling frosted and clear glass. Patients can control drapes in their rooms electronically.
Natural light extends to the core of the patient floors, where support and utility spaces are decentralized. Compact nurses’ stations are positioned next to patient rooms to allow caregivers a more active role in patient recovery, as well as to promote quietude by dispersing staff activities.
“The opening of the Joint and Spine Center allows us to transform the way care is delivered,” says Mike Keating, President and CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network. “This Center supports our mission of improving the health of the community and creating patient value by providing exceptional outcomes, affordable care, and the finest experiences.”
The design team was challenged to establish a highly functional integrated hub without disrupting the campus’s day-to-day operations. This was accomplished by taking a campus-wide approach: looking beyond the boundaries of the project, the design team created a series of internal corridors linked to adjacent buildings designed to eliminate disruptions to the patient experience. The resulting design creates a seamless, comfortable human experience for patients while separating vital “back-of-house” functions.
Technology improvements in the new Center include using swipe cards to track patient admissions and moves, a fully integrated electronic medical record system, and stand-along kiosks for patient registration and for scheduling appointments. The center includes a hydrotherapy pool and an in-water treadmill with underwater video capabilities for individualized recovery. The latest in robotic technology has also been installed in the Center.
The building includes advanced rehabilitation facilities, physician and administrative offices, conference and training rooms, and dedicated gathering spaces and lounges for families and visitors. Its outdoor space includes rooftop gardens with an infinity fountain for respite and rehab.
The Christ Hospital Health Network is a not-for-profit care facility with 528 beds and nearly 25,000 admissions in its most recent year reported, according to U.S. News & World Report. It is the second-largest healthcare network in Greater Cincinnati, with 3,500 employees, of whom about 240 (including 120 nurses and 65 surgeons) work at the Joint and Spine Center.
The Business Courier reported last year that Christ Hospital entered into an agreement with General Electric that could make the medical center a destination for GE employees nationwide who need hip or knee replacements.
The hospital has struck similar agreements with other employers that have self-funded healthcare plans, including Optum, the data services division of United Healthcare; and Mazak, a Japanese-based machine tool maker with a plant in Florence, Ky., and 1,000 employees in the U.S.
The Center's 87 rectangular patient rooms offer lots of daylight and outside vistas. For privacy, patients can control the drapes in their rooms electronically. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
Decentralized nurses stations help reduce noise on patient floors and allow caregivers to be more involved in patients' recovery. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
A rooftop garden provide respite for patients, family members, and other visitors. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
A large waiting area offers a view of Cincinnati. An estimated 100,000 sf of glass were specified for this project. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 20, 2018
Revamping pharmacies for public safety and compliance
Released in February 2016, the latest standards of the United States Pharmacopeia’s Chapter 800 Pharmaceutical Compounding—Sterile Preparations builds on earlier regulations set forth by USP 797.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 16, 2018
JE Dunn Construction and Hoefer Wysocki Architects selected for Sheppard Air Force Base Medical/Dental Clinic design-build contract
The project is targeting LEED Silver certification.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 28, 2018
Sound health: How tranquility rooms can heal caregivers
Sound can also be healing. It promotes a culture of quietness and enhances environments, not just for patients but also for caretakers.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 19, 2018
New York’s only freestanding pediatric health facility completed on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus
Shepley Bulfinch designed the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 5, 2018
Four tips for designing the hospital of the future
What exactly is the hospital of future? Or more specifically, what is the future of healthcare design?
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 28, 2018
Healthcare operations: The good and bad of the ‘visit per room per day’ metric
Merely pursuing a high “visit per room per day” metric may drive up other resource needs and, in turn, raise operational costs, writes HDR's Zhanting Gao.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 21, 2018
New $412 million advanced research center hopes to attract scientists and clinicians in pediatric biomedical research
The Crump Firm is designing the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 16, 2018
Cancer centers' 'one-stop shop'
Healthcare systems ask their AEC partners for design flexibility that is adjustable to advances in medicine and technology.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 14, 2018
Satellite centers keep cancer treatment closer to patients' orbit
This treatment center is half new construction, half renovation of a building that had been used for family services.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 1, 2018
Early supplier engagement provides exceptional project outcomes
Efficient supply chains enable companies to be more competitive in the marketplace.