The new Neuro ICU provides a family-friendly environment that is a perfect atmosphere for the patient’s healing process. “In the new Neuro ICU, every patient has a private room, nursing is decentralized, care teams have ample work space and the overall environment is serene, family-friendly and patient-focused,” said Kelly Heathman, RN, director of nursing, neuroscience at the hospital, in a statement.

The new ICU design was built using an evidence-based design and includes advanced technology features such as single-patient rooms with private bathrooms, including a shower and a family area with a sleeper sofa so the family is able to be involved in the patient care. The rooms also feature a ceiling-mounted boom that is designed to specifications from the Neuro ICU team. The equipment can be easily moved out of the way to facilitate care such as placing ventricular drains, according to a statement. The department also contains a dedicated CT scanner that will minimize transportation time and the distance to imaging services, which is meant to protect the patient’s safety. Each room will be fit with state-of-the-art “smart” rooms and “smart” beds that will be able to weigh the patients and even alert staff when a patient attempts to get out of bed. The addition of state-of-the-art technology allows the physicians to provide more efficient care for their patients.

Open work areas will facilitate staff interactions across the neuroscience disciplines, which will enhance patient care and safety. The staff will also now be equipped with special phones that will allow for secure texting of protected health information, eliminating the need for paging and callback and saving critical time with patients, according to a statement. Many of the new features at the Parkland Memorial Hospital Neuro ICU are included to be able to improve function and make the facility a more comfortable and family-friendly environment for patients.

“The appreciation we get from patients and families is very heartening. It’s one of the reasons many of us choose to practice at Parkland. Our patients make us grow, and we are grateful for it,” said Michael Rubin, MD, Neuro-Intensivist at Parkland and assistant professor of neurology and neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern, in a statement.
 

The post New Neuro ICU Provides State-of-the-Art Services appeared first on HCO News.

The completion of the new 2.5 million-square-foot Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas could be pushed back because construction officials are still waiting on a building permit for a pedestrian bridge that’s crucial to help ease the movement of patients and equipment into the new structure next May, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.

The hold-up stems from the question of who owns Harry Hines Boulevard, where the bridge will be anchored. The city of Dallas manages the street, but the land underneath belongs to Dallas County and the state of Texas. The two entities still need time to review and approve the hospital’s plan.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price has already objected to the costly design of the $13 million pedestrian bridge, which was never included in the original budget. When a hospital committee opted last week for a pedestrian bridge with a distinctive arch design, the arch tacked on almost $6 million extra to the cost of building the bridge. Construction costs overall are already about $16 million over budget.

When it’s completed, the Parkland campus will be twice the size of the current hospital that was originally built in 1954. It will provide 862 single-patient rooms with private bathrooms. The project is set to be the largest public hospital in the nation to be built in one phase. Facility planning began in 2008, and the official groundbreaking was in November 2010.

As of June, construction was 90 percent complete and on track to open by next May. Workers have begun moving in furniture and medical equipment, and a high-speed elevator was installed that takes patients from the two helipads at the top of the 17-story hospital to the emergency department to the ground floor.

Parkland is working with Dallas-based designers HDR+Corgan, and Dallas-based construction manager BARA, a joint venture team that includes Balfour Beatty Construction, Austin Commercial, H.J. Russell & Company and Azteca Enterprises.

The post Pedestrian Bridge Could Delay Parkland Memorial Hospital Opening appeared first on HCO News.