The Valley Hospital Foundation
Patient-Centered
The planning process for the new hospital reflected Valley’s priority to place patients and families at the center of care. The specific design process — called 3P (process, preparation, production) — brought together staff from all service lines and departments in interdisciplinary teams to consider how to build a hospital that incorporated the latest advances in healthcare, while also retaining Valley’s renowned personal touch. The result is a timeless design with 370 single-bed rooms for patients — whether on the medical and surgical floors, labor and delivery, emergency department, or the NICU. Single-patient rooms offer a more private healing environment for patients and families and will also help medical staff to deliver care. Research has indicated that private rooms improve safety and infection control and reduce sleep disturbances. Each single-patient room has dedicated space for families and for the technology and diagnostic equipment that facilitate care.
Two expansive lobbies will guide patients and families to three pavilions housing women’s and children’s services and medical/surgical patient rooms. Patient floors will be designed so that nursing stations are closer to patient rooms and will offer private consultation areas for families and medical staff.
“Thank you for all that you do — always ensuring we get the best care with kindness and support. You are the best!“
— Cardiology Patient
One of the key decisions that came out of the design process is a new “on stage/ off stage” design to improve the functioning of patient floors. Consider how crowded hospital corridors can be. This new design places essential equipment, supplies, environmental services, and other materials that support patient care behind the scenes—accessible to staff, but in a way that does not interfere with patients
or their families. Locating functions such as dietary, laundry, patient transport, and other support functions “off stage” minimizes congestion on patient floors, provides for a safer and more patient-centric experience, and streamlines delivery of patient care. The result will be cleaner, more open, and easier to navigate corridors designed with patient, family, and visitor safety and convenience in mind.
The new hospital will also feature a vastly expanded emergency department, growing from the current 39 patient rooms to 72 individual treatment rooms, again with extra space for families. The expanded room size will facilitate in-room testing and diagnostic procedures, so that in emergency situations, care can be delivered right at the bedside, rather than moving patients in and out for testing. Valley will continue to have a pediatric emergency department and will also have two critical care rooms for cardiac and trauma patients. In addition, the new emergency department will include a rapid decision unit for patients who require more time for testing before a decision is made on admission or next steps.