Just like the Disney theme parks, which do not allow guests to cross paths with the staff or characters as they prepare for shows, the Emergency Room will also provide privacy to patients and doctors. It will no longer house just curtains but will instead integrate proper walls.
The hospital began its construction in 2007 over a 50-acre medical campus, with the hospital building spread across 866,000 square feet, and will include a completely redesigned emergency room. The 31-room emergency department will showcase a clover like design with four pod units, each functioning like a separate emergency room.
A decentralized nurse station will be located along each pod, which will also feature staff hallways, storage areas and staff lounges. The outer border will integrate the registration, family lounges and public hallways. The patient’s room will include two separate doors on either side to be used by the staff and the family members.
The four wall emergency room will keep the patients away from the frenzy that goes inside the emergency room. The emergency room houses a glass wall on one side facing the nurse’s station, which will be hidden from the patient’s room.
The glass wall is designed as a breakaway wall, to allow the movement of large equipment into the room. A cover will also be provided to conceal the room when privacy is needed.
Apart from this, Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare will also include separate hallways and work areas for staff, patients and private rooms with attached bathrooms. Separate rapid assessment rooms are also provided to ease the process of consultation, by a nurse conducting the tests before being seen by a physician.
Styrofoam fixtures that replicated cabinets, counters and other elements are also integrated in the full scale model of the hospital. The model reveals the location of the blood pressure cuff, the light switches, and even the garbage bins.
