Interior Surfaces

Only a fraction of the 40 billion square feet of roofing annually installed in the United States involves retrofit projects

In addition to daily operational management plans — dictated in many cases by specific, rigorous practices required by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations — most hospitals and medical centers have contingency plans to manage operational interruptions or system failures, such as a power outage, fire, computer failure or chemical spill.

Even though the economy has forced many hospitals and health systems to delay or cancel capital projects, there is still a bright spot on the horizon — reduced costs. Commodities, materials and land have all seen a recent and fairly dramatic drop in prices.

In the current economic climate, healthcare administrators are looking for ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies. One of the

Integrated operating rooms allow picture archive and communication system images to be accessed and viewed with audio-video technology. The most fully integrated systems extend A/V capabilities to remote viewing sites. Consequently, facilities must consider the placement of cameras and monitors, coordinating them with various booms, and the typical positions of surgical staff.

Since space is one of a hospital’s most valuable commodities, particularly in operating rooms, adequate space for A/V equipment must be allocated early in the design process.

BOSTON — Know what it’s like to run a large metropolitan hospital and make decisions that affect hundreds of people?

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System recently opened the doors of its new Valley Specialty Center, a 244,000-square-foot facility that consolidates 22 outpatient specialty services.

The new center — a $151 million project built with $129 million in bond money, $15 million from the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and money from the Valley Medical Center Foundation, among other sources — replaces the previous facility that was aging and burdened with more patients than it was built to handle, according to hospital officials.