This year, nearly 1.1 million Americas are expected to suffer “coronary events,” according to an American Heart Association report released earlier this year. The good news is that the number of deaths caused by cardiovascular heart failure or coronary heart disease has been falling steadily over the past several years.
That decline corresponds with the growth of heart failure clinics that have been popping up across the country, not only on academic campuses such as Stanford, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, the University of Iowa and the University of Michigan, but also at major medical centers like Mayo Clinic (which has heart failure clinics in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota), NYU|Langone Medical Center, and Cleveland Clinic.
Also see: 2019 Healthcare Giants Report: The ‘smart hospital’ is on the horizon
Add to that list the Max and Debra Ernst Heart Center, a $9 million, 14,000-sf facility that opened last month at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. This addition, which is set up to treat 100 visitors per day, includes 12 patient care rooms, an echocardiogram room, a vascular room, a stress testing room, and two treatment rooms designed for outpatient medication infusion services.
The clinic is named after Max Ernst, the former Arbor Drugs COO, and his wife, who last year donated $5 million to the construction of the new heart failure center.
The clinic, with 12 patient rooms, is set up to treat up to 100 visitors per day.
David Jaeger, Principal, Healthcare Studio Leader, Harley EIllis Devereaux (HED), this project’s primary design architect, talked about the “scalability” of the clinics for treating heart failure. “That’s been the case for Beaumont for many years,” adding that the new clinic is about expansion and branding.
He says his firm has had a “longstanding relationship” with Beaumont, dating back to 1997. HED has also done a number of heart centers for other clients; Jaeger says this has become something of a specialty for the firm. On the Beaumont project, HED was also the SE, ME, EE, and landscape architect. PEA Inc. was the CE. And Kasco Construction was the CM.
Heart failure clinics: More than a heart hospital
The goal of heart failure clinics, he explains, is to keep more patients out of emergency rooms. He made the point, however, that cardiology in general is not a growing service anymore for hospitals. “You rarely hear about open-heart surgery anymore,” he says, noting the clinicians are doing a much better job, and have better tools, to treat patients so they don’t need major surgery. “Cardiovascular clinicians have to think about population health in a different what to grow and expand their businesses.”
The clinic's glass facade lets in more natural light.
Jaeger says that this project was a challenge because the clinic needed to be wedged within five existing buildings on campus. It also needed to mediate radiation services below.
The precedent for heart failure clients that HED turned toward for its design, says Jaeger, was Duke University, which operates an advanced heart and lung failure clinic, a cardiology consult clinic, and a clinical research unit.
Beaumont is a 3 million-sf hospital, so patient access to the clinic was imperative. Located adjacent to the East Tower entrance of the hospital near the Ernst Cardiovascular Center that opened eight years ago, the clinic has its own entryway in close proximity to parking.
Jaeger also points out that, even though this campus’ buildings are mostly made from brick, HED specified a glass façade that wraps around the clinic addition, providing more natural light to patients and visitors.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 10, 2022
Respite for the weary healthcare worker
The pandemic has shined a light on the severe occupational stress facing healthcare workers. Creating restorative hospital environments can ease their feelings of anxiety and burnout while improving their ability to care for patients.
Coronavirus | Jan 20, 2022
Advances and challenges in improving indoor air quality in commercial buildings
Michael Dreidger, CEO of IAQ tech startup Airsset speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about how building owners and property managers can improve their buildings' air quality.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 7, 2022
Supporting hope and healing
Five research-driven design strategies for pediatric behavioral health environments.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 20, 2021
Stantec will design the new Queensway Health Centre
The project is located in Toronto.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 16, 2021
Leo A Daly designs mental health clinic for veterans in Tampa
The new facility will consolidate all mental health services the VA offers into one clinic.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 15, 2021
COVID-19 has altered the speed and design of healthcare projects, perhaps irrevocably
Healthcare clients want their projects up and running quicker, a task made more complicated by the shortage of skilled labor in many markets.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 15, 2021
MEP design considerations for rural hospitals
Rural hospitals present unique opportunities and challenges for healthcare facility operators. Oftentimes, the infrastructure and building systems have not been updated for years and require significant improvements in order to meet today’s modern medical demands. Additionally, as these smaller, more remote hospitals are acquired by larger regional and national healthcare systems, the first step by new ownership is often to update and rehabilitate the building. But how can this be done thoughtfully, economically, and efficiently in ways that allow the engineering and facility staff to adapt to the changes? And how can the updates accurately reflect the specific needs of rural communities and the afflictions with which these areas most commonly face?
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 7, 2021
Wheeler Kearns Architects completes Howard Brown Health’s Broadway Youth Center in Chicago
The new facility will provide medical and social service programs to LGBTQI+ youth.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 23, 2021
Why vertical hospitals might be the next frontier in healthcare design
In this article, we’ll explore the opportunities and challenges of high-rise hospital design, as well as the main ideas and themes we considered when designing the new medical facility for the heart of London.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 12, 2021
Centro Hospitalario Serena Del Mar is Safdie Architects’ first project in Latin America
The hospital project is characterized by its connectivity to nature.