Planning for what goes inside the hospital

Bryan Daylor
By Bryan Daylor, Vice President, Ancillary & Support Services, Eden Medical Center
In my previous posts, I described how our “user” team approach to planning the new hospital Those of us who head up different functional areas at Eden worked in teams (consisting of managers, supervisors, staff and physicians) to determine the best way to improve the delivery of patient care in the new hospital by implementing industry best practices.
Our focus all along has been on patient safety and quality of care, efficient patient flow and effective use of skilled resources. This work has been an important opportunity to design a building that supports the process of care and enhances the experience for patients and caregivers. We were challenged with the puzzle of creating work space and flow in a new building, but in the end we feel we have achieved an excellent design for the new hospital.
While the construction teams are busy working on the visible sign of progress, we are planning for what goes inside the new building. Our teams are working with the project engineers and architects and some of the key users on what fills the space that we have so carefully designed: the structures and equipment that will be in each room of the new hospital. This space planning includes reviewing the elevations of casework, cabinets, counter tops and work surfaces to ensure that the work areas and surfaces align with work flow and support functions.
Although we have not selected the final medical equipment, we must plan for the equipment that goes into every room. We are taking inventory of the equipment needed and documenting the space allocation and utility needs (electrical, plumbing, data, cooling and ventilation) required for every piece of equipment in every room. There are more than 8,500 pieces of equipment inventoried for the new hospital that must be accounted for in the room-by-room layouts. Over the past four weeks, the team has worked together to review each floor to ensure the drawings are accurate and inclusive of the specific details required to support the equipment and functionality of the space.
The group is also researching and evaluating technological advancements in every discipline to anticipate changes and ensure that, when the new hospital opens, we will have the most up-to-date equipment for our staff and our patients.
I welcome you comments and questions.
Leave Your Comment
Comment Policy
By commenting on the Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley: Design Innovation for the Future of Health Care blog, you are granting its owner license to the content of your comment, and acknowledge that the authors do not have a duty to modify or withdraw posts, but that we may do so if we choose, for any reason.
Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley and Sutter Health strive to maintain an atmosphere of free and open conversation. "Constructive criticism" is okay. Personal attacks are not okay. This is a private website, and we reserve the right to delete any comments we find offensive, particularly using language that may be offensive to many readers.
If a commenter repeatedly abuses Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley's comment policy, then none of their comments will be published in the future (even if those subsequent comments are "good").
Anonymous comments or comments made under an assumed name will not be posted. Comments that appear to be "spam" will not be posted.







3 Comments to “Managing the Details:
Planning for what goes inside the hospital”
The blog contains quite a few important aspects about the health care services provided at the very Sutter medical centre. I would like to congradulate the author.
Will the cafeteria have windows and natural daylight?
Dr. Edelman,
The cafeteria will have large windows along the north wall, as well as patio seating. The design takes advantage of natural light and a quiet, landscaped area for outdoor dining. Thanks for asking!