princeton review Archives - HCO News https://hconews.com/tag/princeton_review/ Healthcare Construction & Operations Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.9 https://hconews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-HCO-News-Logo-32x32.png princeton review Archives - HCO News https://hconews.com/tag/princeton_review/ 32 32 Kaiser Permanente Makes Aggressive Green Goals for 2025 https://hconews.com/2016/06/07/kaiser-permanente-makes-aggressive-green-goals-2025/ OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente, an Oakland-based health care system, set new and aggressive environmental goals for the year 2025, including becoming carbon net positive and sending zero waste to landfills.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente, an Oakland-based health care system, set new and aggressive environmental goals for the year 2025, including becoming carbon net positive and sending zero waste to landfills. There is not yet an estimate for the cost of the changes taking place, but operations, investments, grant making, public policy, research and community collaborations will need to create new strategies.

Targets include:

• Reduce water by 25 percent per square foot.

Already, at the Woodland Hills Medical Center in in Woodland Hills, Calif., Kaiser installed smart irrigation controllers in 2014 to reduce the amount of water used. These controllers accounted for weather patterns before watering the grounds. Alongside the smart irrigation, Kaiser eliminated turf and chose native and drought-resistant plants and has reduced water usage at Woodland Hills by 50 percent and at its Panorama City Medical Center by 60 percent.

• Recycle, reuse and compost 100 percent of non-hazardous waste.

As of the end of 2015, Kaiser diverted nearly 40 percent of its waste from landfills. Previously, the establishment of an electronic medical record system had decreased the use of paper forms and waste. Many of the Kaiser hospitals in California have already implemented blue wrap recycling programs. Blue wrap material is used to preserve the sterility of medical instruments. While it feels like soft paper, blue wrap is actually made from heavy-duty polypropylene plastic, incredibly bad at breaking down in a landfill.

• Become “carbon net positive” by buying enough clean energy and carbon offsets to remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits.

In order to take more carbon dioxide out than it puts in and neutralize the emissions they cannot eliminate, Kaiser plans to buy carbon offsets, credits that fund projects that remove carbon from the air. Potential offsets will go through careful analysis to find to find projects that produce the most value in terms of mitigating against climate change and also being cost effective. Offset projects usually focus on protecting and restoring forests.

• Buy all of its food locally or from farms and producers that use sustainable practices, including using antibiotics responsibly.

Currently, 24 percent of Kaiser’s food-spend account goes toward sustainable or local food, about $7.4 million. In 2015, Kaiser spent $1.8 million on meat and poultry raised without antibiotics alone. Kaiser created the Sustainable Food Scorecard in 2012, allowing the organization to rate suppliers and vendors in order to select vendors who can best support sustainable food purchasing.

• Increase its purchase of products and materials that meet environmental standards to 50 percent.

Kaiser is looking to find safer chemical alternatives for 50 percent of the products purchased, medical and non-medical. They expect to spend some $56 billion-plus on these safer products by 2025, excluding pharmaceuticals because of the unique aspects of development and substitution. This will evolve their current standards and environmentally preferable products (EPP) policy already in place. Already, Kaiser won the 2015 EPEAT purchaser award for buying environmentally preferable electronics. Kaiser has also made strides in replacing products with non-toxic paint and fabrics, mercury-free devices, IV solution bags free of PVC and DEHP, and eco-friendly, health conscious purchases.

• Meet international standards for environmental management at all its hospitals.

The company is looking to meet the ISO 14001 environmental management system at its 38 hospitals. ISO 14001 includes policies, planning, controls and more guidelines in order to help organizations manage their environmental responsibilities.

• Pursue new collaborations to reduce environmental risks to the foodsheds, watersheds and air basins supplying its communities.

Current collaborators include Center for Environmental Health, Corporate Eco-Forum, Goodwill Industries, Health Care Without Harm, Healthier Hospitals Initiative, Practice Greenhealth, Smartway Transport and The Climate Registry.

In 2012, Kaiser’s initial goal was to cut its greenhouse missions by 30 percent by 2020. That goal will be achieved in 2017 — three years ahead of schedule.

 

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Vidyo Receives $10 Million Investment from Kaiser Permanente https://hconews.com/2015/12/16/vidyo-receives-10-million-investment-kaiser-permanente/ OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente, headquartered in Oakland, made a strategic $10 million investment in Vidyo, a software-defined video collaboration, to help them with their growth in the health care industry. On Dec. 14, Vidyo announced their latest funding, including the investment from Kaiser Permanente, and company officials said that the company has now raised $163 million.

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OAKLAND, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente, headquartered in Oakland, made a strategic $10 million investment in Vidyo, a software-defined video collaboration, to help them with their growth in the health care industry. Many people dream to invest such money into a collaboration. With the continuing growth of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Goldshell CK5 and similar appliances have become more popular to those wanting to gain money and eventually be able to invest in similar companies to Vidyo. On Dec. 14, Vidyo announced their latest funding, including the investment from Kaiser Permanente, and company officials said that the company has now raised $163 million. Some of this funding may have come from those looking to invest in their options, using investment platforms such as the best stock trading app canada has to offer. Many of these investors are expecting the company values of Vidyo and Kaiser to increase as a result of this deal. Though it isn’t too late to invest now, the following article has resources to learn here about how to begin in this field. All in all, the end result is further funding for the health care in that region.

The company sees telemedicine as a fast-growing industry, and Vidyo wants to be involved in the growth of telemedicine, Kelly Williams, the company’s director of publication, told eWeek. “The VidyoWorks platform and APIs have been deployed by the top names in health care and the quality and experience delivered have played a key role in advancing the use of telemedicine across hospital systems and to patient homes,” Eran Westman, Vidyo CEO, said in a statement.

The growth of telemedicine is seen as a way to decrease costs in the health care industry, while also allowing doctors to meet with patients in more rural areas. Kaiser’s investment in Vidyo and the open software-defined video services industry is similar to receiving a seal of approval from the health care industry, according to Forbes. With the evolution of the health care industry, it has been made clear that telemedicine is going to be important moving forward as it allows more people access to health care providers. It is also hoped that this service can be expanded to other countries, though it is understood that some background in foreign exchange (the type that can be learned on a forex course here) and investment is required before that leap can be made. However, there’s no doubt that telemedicine will be able to reach that stage. The growth of the telehealth market is going to be immense and is projected to reach $34 billion by 2020, according to an article from Fortune Magazine.

“Our health care system has undergone dramatic and sweeping changes in recent years. One such change that took place in 2014 was adoption of a telemedicine policy that helps further the delivery of convenient, clinically meaningful video-based interactions between physicians and patient,” said Williams in a blog post on the Vidyo company website.

Vidyo is already a strong force in the telemedicine industry and accounts for nearly half of the top 100 health care delivery networks in the U.S. for their telehealth applications. Some of the companies involved include Partners Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, UPMC, Mercy and Carolinas, according to the Vidyo company website.

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Kaiser Opens Replacement Hospital in Redwood City https://hconews.com/2015/01/04/kaiser-opens-replacement-hospital-in-redwood-city/ REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A new replacement hospital at Kaiser Permanente’s Redwood City Medical Center is the third new hospital opened by the health care provider in Northern California in 2014 alone.

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A new replacement hospital at Kaiser Permanente’s Redwood City Medical Center is the third new hospital opened by the health care provider in Northern California in 2014 alone.

The seven-story, 280,000-square-foot building, which opened Dec. 16, sits adjacent to the building it replaced. The new facility was built to meet California’s seismic-safety standards that went into effect on Jan. 1. Under SB 1953 — enacted in 1994 following the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes — hospitals are required to remain operational after an earthquake. Some of the state’s hospitals have been granted extensions to meet the standards, but Kaiser’s work to meet requirements started in 2002 with major construction efforts in Northern California. In addition to Redwood City, Kaiser opened new facilities in Oakland during July 2014 and in San Leandro during June 2014 as a replacement for the Hayward hospital.

The new hospital in Redwood City features neuro-interventional radiology suites, neurological CT scans and neuro-interventional imaging suites, as well as dedicated neurological and orthopedic operating rooms.

“Our new Redwood City hospital is the culmination of a $2 billion commitment by Kaiser Permanente to our members and the communities we serve,” said Gregory A. Adams, group president and regional president of Northern California Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Inc., in a statement “We are an industry leader in delivering high-quality, affordable health care, and as the third new facility we have opened this year, the Redwood City hospital reflects our commitment to providing exceptional, patient-centered care to our members in modern, up-to-date facilities.”

The new facility features private rooms with room service, Wi-Fi and pull out guest beds for family and friends. Throughout the hospital, patient rooms feature the “Get Well Network,” an interactive electronic patient-care board connected to a 42-inch plasma screen. Patients can view television programs, movies and patient-education videos. Additionally, they can find the names of doctors and nurses, receive email and read a care schedule that covers their hospital stay and follow-up care once they are released. The hospital also features an electronic way-finding board that helps members and visitors find people and destinations in the hospital.

“The new hospital at Redwood City and its fellow new hospitals in Oakland and San Leandro showcase the excellence in medical care that we provide in Kaiser Permanente,” said Robert Pearl, MD, executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, in a statement. “Our superior quality outcomes and personalized service have allowed us to increase our membership in Northern California by more than 170,000 individuals this year and made us the model for health care for the future. The neurosurgical team in Redwood City is world class and their results exceptional. This state-of-the-art hospital will allow them to provide even more impressive care for the most complex problems that patients experience.”

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Kaiser Opens State-of-the-Art Hospital in Oakland https://hconews.com/2014/07/02/kaiser-opens-state-the-art-hospital-in-oakland/ OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente opened a new medical center on Tuesday in central Oakland, the headquarter city where the nonprofit health care system was founded nearly 70 years ago.

The new, 12-story, 349-bed Oakland Medical Center is directly across the street from the medical center it replaces. The hospital sits on the corner of Broadway and MacArthur Boulevard.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente opened a new medical center on Tuesday in central Oakland, the headquarter city where the nonprofit health care system was founded nearly 70 years ago.

The new, 12-story, 349-bed Oakland Medical Center is directly across the street from the medical center it replaces. The hospital sits on the corner of Broadway and MacArthur Boulevard.

“This new building culminates a year-long capital program to keep our hospitals and medical offices state of the art,” said Gregory A. Adams, group president and regional president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Inc. in Northern California, in a statement. “The new medical center continues the long history we have had with the city of Oakland and renews our commitment to enhance and improve the health and well-being of our members, and of the community at large.”

The hospital features all private rooms with room service, Wi-Fi and pullout guest beds. It also contains a 24-hour ER with 52 private treatment bays, eight labor and delivery rooms and 14 inpatient operating rooms.

A special aspect of the new hospital is the full-service children’s hospital that operates within the general hospital. The hospital provides pediatric sub-specialty services and has a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and gathering areas specially designed for children.

Oakland Medical Center is the first in Northern California to have an intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging system, an advanced imaging technology that pediatric neurosurgeons use during brain surgery.

Patient rooms in the hospital will include the Get Well Network, an interactive electronic patient care board connected to a 42-inch plasma screen where patients can view television and patient-education videos, find the names of doctors and nurses, and read a care schedule.

The new facility joins a specialty medical office building next door, which opened Jan. 6 and offers 102 provider offices, six outpatient operating rooms, seven outpatient procedure rooms, a new parking garage, a lab and pharmacy. The medical campus is complete with five other medical office buildings nearby.

“Kaiser Permanente is the quality and service leader in Northern California today, and this state-of-the-art hospital will allow us to expand the excellence of our medical care,” said Robert Pearl, MD, executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, in a statement. “Offering cutting-edge adult and pediatric services, this facility will set the standard for technologically advanced hospital care in the East Bay.”

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Kaiser Permanente Opens New Advanced Care Center https://hconews.com/2014/05/28/kaiser-permanente-opens-new-advanced-care-center/ ATLANTA — Following a 10-month renovation, the Kaiser Permanente Southwood Comprehensive Center has doubled health care space for patients. The two-story, $45 million project brought the facility to 113,000 square feet increasing space for the 24/7 advanced care center.

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ATLANTA — Following a 10-month renovation, the Kaiser Permanente Southwood Comprehensive Center has doubled health care space for patients. The two-story, $45 million project brought the facility to 113,000 square feet increasing space for the 24/7 advanced care center.

“KP’s mission is spreading good health through our communities,” said Kerry Kohnen, president of Kaiser Permanente Georgia, in a statement. “Southwood now has a state-of-the-art space for new specialties; plus, our emergency-trained staff will now be able to offer urgent care to this area.”

The addition now houses the Acute Care Center, Clinical Decision Unit, procedure suite, sterile processing, pain medicine, orthopedics, podiatry, urology, gastroenterology, surgery, optometry, ophthalmology, pulmonology, rheumatology and endoscopy.

“The Advanced Care Center allows us to provide coordinated care to our members 24 hours a day, seven days a week outside of a hospital setting,” said Michael Doherty, executive medical director of Kaiser Permanente of Georgia, in a statement. “Our Southwood Comprehensive Medical Center saves time and money, while enabling us to deliver high-level care through doctors who are board certified in emergency medicine and have access to our members’ complete medical records.”

Gresham, Smith and Partners, which holds offices in Alpharetta, Ga., designed the expansion while St. Louis-headquartered McCarthy Building Companies headed construction.

The project, which is aiming for LEED Silver certification, used BIM 360 technology and installed prefabricated materials for all the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The use of building technologies allowed the project to be completed two months ahead of schedule.

“This building is a great example of how today’s technology really enhances the building process,” said Kevin Kuntz, McCarthy Southeast Division president, in a statement. “Executing a short construction schedule is always good news received by clients and building partners alike. In this case, it allows people access to new medical services just a little bit sooner — and that’s a great thing we are proud to help provide.”

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Kaiser Breaks Ground on New San Diego Hospital https://hconews.com/2014/02/21/kaiser-breaks-ground-on-new-san-diego-hospital/ SAN DIEGO — Kaiser Permanente recently broke ground on a new seven-story hospital to serve the growing San Diego area.

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SAN DIEGO — Kaiser Permanente recently broke ground on a new seven-story hospital to serve the growing San Diego area.

Los Angeles-based CO Architects is serving as architect and Hensel Phelps, headquartered in Greeley, Colo., is heading construction on the $900 million project. Built on a 19-acre site, the 565,000-square-foot facility will be a partial replacement for the San Diego Medical Center and provide the growing community with the health care space it needs. The project includes a 321-bed hospital, which will have the ability to expand by an additional 129 beds, a central plant, hospital support building and an expandable parking structure. All rooms at the hospital will be private.

The health care facility will include an emergency department, operating rooms, recovery spaces, pharmacies, a gourmet cafeteria, a laboratory and a blood bank, as well as support spaces such as administrative offices and conference rooms. To create a tranquil healing space for patients and visitors, a half-mile walking trail and a wrap-around healing garden will also be made available.

“Kaiser Permanente’s new central hospital will be a high-tech hospital of the future,” said Mary Ann Barnes, senior vice president and executive director for Kaiser Permanente San Diego, in a statement. “From green design to the latest technology, it will have all the tools to provide our members with the highest quality care in a beautiful, healing and nurturing environment.”

The new hospital will have several sustainable features and aim for LEED Gold certification. The facility will use solar panels on the campus’ parking garage, thermal insulation, chilled beams and LED light fixtures throughout to reduce energy demands. The facility will also employ rainwater utilization and waste recycling systems, and place focus on using locally produced materials for both construction and landscaping.

Technology that will be utilized at the hospital includes video conferencing, touch screens in patient rooms and surgical robots.

The project is aiming for a 2017 completion date.

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Kaiser Permanente’s Rame Hemstreet Discusses LEED Gold Commitment https://hconews.com/2013/06/12/kaiser-permanente-s-rame-hemstreet-discusses-leed-gold-commitment/ OAKLAND, Calif. — On May 22, Kaiser Permanente announced it will seek LEED Gold certification for new construction of hospitals and other major projects over $10 million.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — On May 22, Kaiser Permanente announced it will seek LEED Gold certification for new construction of hospitals and other major projects over $10 million. The organization’s first hospital to earn LEED Gold status will be the Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center, which is scheduled to open in August in Hillsboro, Ore. The 126-bed hospital is the organization’s 38th hospital.

With plans to spend about $30 billion in construction over the next 10 years, Kaiser Permanente estimates that the LEED Gold commitment will affect 15 million square feet of real estate or more than 100 buildings. HealthCare Construction + Operations News speaks with Kaiser Permanente’s Chief Energy Officer Rame Hemstreet about the LEED Gold commitment and what it means for the organization, as well as the health care industry as a whole.

Q: What are the key benefits for Kaiser Permanente when it comes to deciding to build LEED Gold?

Hemstreet: It was a natural progression for us. We’ve been a leader in sustainable design and construction for a while and even helped write the Green Guide for Health Care [prior to the new LEED for Health Care or LEED-HC rating system]. We thought we’d demonstrate that if you took sustainability into account from the initial phases of the project that you can build a sustainable facility with little or no additional costs and reap long-term benefits. There is a health component to sustainable design that will assist us in our mission of health care and also make the building more productive for the people that work there.

Q: What do you think about the LEED-HC standard and are you looking to reach those requirements as well?

Hemstreet: For our hospitals and large ambulatory service centers, yes. Of course, we also build a lot of medical office buildings, and we think for that LEED for New Construction would be more appropriate. LEED Gold will apply to all new footprint over $10 million, but whether it’s it LEED-HC or LEED for New Construction will depend on its purpose.

Q: Are you actually seeking LEED certification for each project or just building them to those standards?

Hemstreet: Certification. I feel that “certifiable” is like saying I can run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds, but I’ve never actually timed myself.

Q: How has the building of the Westside Medical Center influenced your decision to build LEED Gold?

Hemstreet: Westside was proof of the concept that we could do it. We tried to define the costs attributed to LEED certification and it was less than 1 percent of the total costs; those attributes would actually have a hard economic payback five times that over the life of the building. Then, there are the noneconomic benefits or difficult-to-quantify economic benefits, such as increased productivity and an enhanced healing environment. There’s also a brand aspect; obviously, having a LEED Gold plaque enhances the brand and long-term value of that building.

Q: How do you think Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to building green will affect the overall health care construction industry?

Hemstreet: Already, we’re not alone. The last count we had was that there are 28 hospitals across the country that have met LEED Gold/Platinum. As one of the largest real estate owners in the health care industry, this will enhance that trend and perhaps accelerate that trend, but it’s occurring regardless. Across the industry, we’re recognizing the hard and soft benefits of sustainable construction.

Q: What has the community’s reaction to the commitment been, and how do you think it will affect the health care industry as a whole?

Hemstreet: The reaction of the community is very positive. That was one of the drivers for Westside being the LEED Gold pilot because the local community is very supportive. Increasingly communities are demanding it. As far as the health care industry, I hope we can demonstrate to our members that are cared for at our hospitals that a high-performing building can reduce the hospital stay time of members. There’s anecdotal evidence along those lines, but I think as we develop an inventory of these high-performing buildings, we can demonstrate the health care and productivity improvements that they provide us.

Q: What Kaiser Permanente projects are currently in the works?

Hemstreet: We have a number [of projects] in design (and some that are actually starting construction) that are targeted for LEED Gold — about half a dozen actually. There were some other buildings underway prior to our policy that will not necessarily reach that goal but will be LEED Silver opening over the next year to 18 months. Following that, over the next decade, there will be up to 100 LEED Gold buildings.

Q: What do you think this commitment means for the future of Kaiser?

Hemstreet: I think it means the built environment will contribute to high quality affordable health care for members. I’m convinced that the built environment is one aspect of health care that occurs within those four walls and a ceiling and that sustainable design can also help make us more affordable by reducing long-term operating costs. We made a commitment to a 35 percent greenhouse reduction goal by 2020 compared to our 2008 baseline. That’s not relative to our size considering we’ll be growing our footprint in the course of those 12 years, so the reduction will be greater than that. In the short term, the more important aspect is reducing energy demand in our existing buildings and finding renewable on-site and off-site sources of energy. In the longer term, the more sustainable and the more energy efficient we construct our new buildings and the more on-site renewals we incorporate into those new buildings, the smaller our carbon footprint will be.

It is our expectation that our design and partners and consultants will help us get to LEED Gold with no additional first costs. We think this should be the standard in the building industry, and not something we pay a premium for.
 

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Kaiser Ontario, Calif. Hospital Opens Doors https://hconews.com/2011/12/07/kaiser-ontario-calif-hospital-opens-doors/ ONTARIO, Calif. — The Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center opened its doors in early November, bringing more jobs to the Inland Empire in California. The 386,000-square-foot hospital combines cutting-edge technology with a sustainable, “peaceful, patient-centered” atmosphere.

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ONTARIO, Calif. — The Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center opened its doors in early November, bringing more jobs to the Inland Empire in California. The 386,000-square-foot hospital combines cutting-edge technology with a sustainable, “peaceful, patient-centered” atmosphere.

The medical center follows Kaiser Permanente’s “template” for its facilities, designed to allow for enhanced flexibility for changing practices and technologies like green features. The facility’s design also meets the new, more rigorous seismic safety standards.

“This state-of-the-art facility is one of the largest, greenest and most technologically advanced ever built in the area, and we are thrilled to be opening our doors,” said Greg Christian, executive director of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals/Health Plan, Fontana and Ontario. “This investment symbolizes our commitment to the health of all people who live and work in the Inland Empire.”

The second Kaiser Permanente medical center in San Bernardino County, which serves about 400,000 members, will allow the hospital system to better serve members and communities on the west end, said Dr. David Quam, area medical director and chief of staff.

All patient rooms are private, with a noise-reducing acoustic design, warm colors and artwork specially commissioned for the facility.

Additional amenities create a family-friendly environment, with beds for overnight stays and wireless Internet access, as well as skylights and large windows to maximize natural light to ease stress.

“This hospital is all about the clinical and personal needs of our patients,” said Georgina Garcia, chief operating officer at the hospital. “Our technology is state of the art, and our healing environment focuses on personalized care. Patient meals will be utilizing the sous vide method for cooking food, used in the finest hotels, and patients can order their meals room service-style – select their menu choices and indicate the time they’d prefer meals to be delivered.”

Officials from Kaiser Permanente reported that the Medical Center is the first to have a fully integrated information technology infrastructure across the entire campus.

Kaiser Permanente’s electronic medical record system is accessible by computer terminals located next to each bed and at nursing stations, allowing providers to retrieve essential medical information at the touch of a finger, while sophisticated imaging systems improve diagnostic and treatment capabilities, according to a statement from Kaiser Permanente.

A wall-to-wall wireless network provides wireless network coverage in all areas of the campus to support computing devices, wireless telephones, and member access.

In addition to billions invested in upgrades across its facilities, the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center replacement hospital will open in 2013.

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Oregon Kaiser Permanente Facility to Go Solar https://hconews.com/2011/11/17/oregon-kaiser-permanente-facility-go-solar/
HILLSBORO, Ore. — As part of its effort to secure LEED Gold certification, Kaiser Permanente will install high performance solar panels at its Westside Medical Center branch, currently under construction.

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HILLSBORO, Ore. — As part of its effort to secure LEED Gold certification, Kaiser Permanente will install high performance solar panels at its Westside Medical Center branch, currently under construction.

The panels will come from the U.S. headquarters of Bonn, Germany-based SolarWorld, located three miles away from the new facility, highlighting the “low-emission transportation benefit of in-market solar production, officials from the SolarWorld said.

The medical center, which is slated for completion in 2013, will be the first hospital completed in the Portland area in nearly 40 years.

The facility will host a 102-kilowatt solar system made up of 468 solar panels installed on its parking garage.

Additional sustainability features at the hospital will include environmentally friendly carpet and paint, non-toxic construction materials, and a water conservation system designed to save two million gallons of water each year.

"We’re proud of all the sustainable design features of the new hospital, which will be the first LEED Gold-certified health care facility in the Portland area," said Andrew McCulloch, president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan of the Northwest. "We’ve made this a local project whenever possible, and using an industry-leading supplier like SolarWorld, located just down the street, was the obvious choice.”

To ring in the solar installation and “underscore the sustainable virtues of local sourcing,” officials and employees of Solar World and Kaiser Permanente accompanied the solar panel delivery from the SolarWorld factory to the hospital on a morning bike ride.

More than 30 other representatives from both companies, plus employees from the hospital’s general contractor, Andersen Construction, participated in the bike ridem which followed two large-load bike trailers and a SolarWorld electric-powered pick-up truck carrying solar panels.

"Buying locally makes sense economically and environmentally," said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries Americas. “And whether your customer is three miles away or 3,000 miles across the country, buying from U.S. manufacturers keeps jobs in America and our carbon footprint low."

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Work on New Kaiser Project Begins https://hconews.com/2011/04/25/new-kaiser-project-begins/

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HARBOR CITY, Calif. — Construction is under way on a new 108,000-square-foot hospital annex building to precede construction of a new main hospital and laboratory renovations at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center in Harbor City.
 
Hospital design-build firm HBE Corp. is providing architecture, engineering services, construction and site work for the $294.7 million project.
 
Kaiser hired HBE after its board of directors spent more than seven years working unsuccessfully with architects and a construction manager to produce an affordable plan for building a new hospital that would not disrupt the current hospital’s operations, the firm said in a statement.
 
HBE provided Kaiser with an alternative design and fixed price that rivaled HBE’s competitors.
 
The four-story hospital will include 383,000 new square feet and 18,500 remodeled square feet. It is expected to be completed in 2015 with no disruption to existing operations. The annex will be completed in June.
 
A 40-position emergency department, nuclear medicine unit, interventional radiology unit with two IR rooms, four 24-bed medical/surgery units, and a separate 10-bed ICU are among the services that will be offered. The facility is one of HBE’s largest healthcare projects to date.
 
Construction is taking place in five phases:
 
Phase 1: Construction has begun on the four-level, 108,000-square-foot Hospital Annex building that will house physician clinic space on two levels. The building will also house a 68-bed medical/surgery unit and shell space. A corridor will be constructed to connect the existing hospital.
 
Phase 2: Simultaneous to construction of the Annex, HBE will renovate a 12,000-square-foot laboratory in the existing South Hospital.
 
Phase 3: After occupancy of the Annex and the lab renovation, two existing east wings of the North Hospital building will be demolished.
 
Phase 4: Construction will begin on the 275,000-square-foot, four-story hospital addition.
 
Phase 5: Concurrent with work on the hospital addition, mechanical and electrical work will be completed in the existing central utility plant.
 
Phase 6: When the new four-level hospital is occupied, the existing north building will be demolished. A new west parking lot will be constructed, as well as a west entrance to the new hospital.
 
HBE has completed nearly one thousand healthcare projects, including replacements, renovations and additions.
 

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