Measuring the Pulse of MCV Campus

VCU Health Systems New Critical Care Hospital

When Virginia Commonwealth University’s $184-million Critical Care Hospital began transferring patients to the new facility on Oct. 14, 2008, it launched a new era in treating critically ill and injured patients.

Located on East Marshall Street, the 15-level building supplements the fourth-floor critical care unit in the main hospital.

"The 367,000 square-foot facility increases critical care capacity at the medical center with intensive care units for surgical trauma, neonatal, burn center, cardiac, neuroscience, medical respiratory and oncology patients," said Brian Ohlinger, vice president of facilities management at VCU.

Ohlinger said patient and health-care provider safety was a main goal in the hospital’s design and construction. Additional attention was paid to technology to further ensure quality and safety.

"The entire building is digitally wired to accommodate the intense communications of critical care units, and environmentally constructed so help is just a step away," said Pamela Lepley, VCU’s director of communications and public relations.

Lepley said the new hospital has 32 adult patient beds, increasing the medical center’s ratio of private to semi-private beds from 37 percent to 70 percent.

Sue Lewis, owner of Imagine Communications, handled publicity for W.M. Jordan Co., the construction contractor for the hospital. She describes the numerous logistical details the project involved.

"The construction site was beside an extremely busy urban emergency room, which meant there could be no disruption in the day-to-day activities of staff or patients, and the new tower connects to existing buildings on three sides," Lewis said.

Lewis said worker safety also was a concern.

"Thirteenth Street was partially closed off to accommodate construction, but there needed to be room for deliveries too pass through to the Clinical Support Center loading dock," she said.

Lewis said a temporary bridge had to be erected between a visitors parking deck and East Clay Street, and construction materials were brought in daily on a "just-in-time" basis. Materials were delivered only when they were needed so that there would be less clutter.

Patient comfort was one of the main concerns of the new hospital, and keeping family members close to their ill or hospitalized relatives was a key element in the hospital’s design.

A typical room averages 250-square-feet, and includes a comfortable sitting area for visitors and family. Most rooms can be compared to a traditional one-bed hotel room. Each room has a patient bed, closet space and a cot for relatives.

Along with comfort, providing better services for critically injured patients was the number one reason for building the new facility.

Lepley said the new hospital’s reach will spread beyond Richmond because "it enables the medical center to better respond to the critical care needs of the region."

The following articles - written by VCU Journalism Students - examine the medical school's legacy, student life, programs, buildings and future. All students are from Professor Bonnie Newman Davis' MASC 303 Newswriting Course. Loren Pritchett assisted in editing the articles.