Rush construction moves forward as East Tower approved
By Susan Fong
After recently receiving approval from the Illinois
Health Facilities Planning Board, Rush University Medical Center will
proceed with Phase II, the largest component of its Rush Transformation, by
starting on its East Tower in July.
The East Tower will house a new inpatient care unit. It will be built on an empty lot west of Ashland Ave. between Harrison and Congress Sts. and be connected to the atrium building at 1650 W. Harrison St.
In 2004, Rush announced it would create a new complementary medical complex instead of making costly renovations of its present facilities.
“The entire project blends new construction with renovations and demolition of certain buildings,” said John Pontarelli, chief communications officer at Rush.
Phase I began last July with the groundbreaking for Rush’s new orthopedic ambulatory care unit, parking structure, power plant, and loading docks.
“The foundation for Phase I is near completion, so the neighborhood should be feeling and seeing more of the transformation,” said Kimberly Waterman, director of media relations.”
The East Tower will feature an “intervention platform” design to house acute and critical care patients in single-bed rooms, with easy accessibility to medical staff and equipment. The intervention model is similar to that used by hospitals such as the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Medical Center.
Rush’s architects worked with the medical, nursing, and support staff to create a universal room design focused on safety, efficiency and service.
“Nursing stations are at the central core, allowing hospital staff to see into all the wings from one location,” Waterman said.
All patient rooms will be standardized as either a medical surgical room or a critical care room so caregivers entering any room can access supplies and equipment quickly.
Transformation plans also involve redesigning patient care by putting key services close together on a single, accessible level to increase convenience and minimize travel within the hospital by patients and families.
“Our campus transformation plans are critical to realizing this objective,” said Larry Goodman, MD, Rush president and CEO. “This patient care facility is also designed to allow for a much greater involvement of family members in the healthcare experience, which we believe is a key component of delivering the best care."
The East Tower also will expand emergency facilities with the Center for Advanced Emergency Response, located on the ground floor. In the event of a major emergency, the center will serve as a focal point for the region.
“The center is designed to have 40 exam rooms with ‘surge’ capacity to treat additional patients in times of disaster,” Waterman said.
The inpatient facility is expected to be ready for patient use in 2012.
Rush is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
The Rush project includes new computer software and systems such as a state-of-the-art health records application to improve the patient experience, from admission to discharge. The system also will simplify creation and use of medical records for caregivers, administrators, and patients.
The project schedule calls for surface parking, the central power plant, parking, the orthopedic ambulatory building, and the supply chain and loading docks to be complete in 2009; the East Tower to open in 2012; the existing Atrium building renovations to finish in 2013 and 2015; and demolition of the oldest buildings on the west end of Rush’s campus to occur in 2016.
“This is a thrilling time for Rush,” said Goodman. “We are beginning to see the first visible signs of a transformation that will not only redesign and rebuild Rush’s campus and landscape but enable Rush to capitalize on advanced technology and more efficiently care for patients in the coming decades.”
