Private Rooms
The new hospital will offer all single bed private patient rooms. The rooms will be equipped with a patient wardrobe, dimmable reading light, 32-inch high definition LCD flat screen television, and wireless internet access. Patients will benefit from daylight and views from second story windows, meals prepared from scratch on site, and reduced noise levels. Family members will enjoy the open visiting hours and sleeper chair. Each room has an attached full bathroom including shower, toilet, and sink.
The private room nursing unit is now commonplace in new hospitals. What is unique for Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa will be the construction of all rooms accessible to people of physical impairments. This universal design approach produces patient rooms that are inherently more useful to all patient populations. Innovative features include power operated window blinds, showers entries without tripping hazards, and consolidated light switches adjacent to the patient bed. These features address the needs of a patient population with a greater life expectancy and acuity.
Patient safety is enhanced through design features that reduce the potential of falls and increase infection control. The patient bathroom is positioned with a direct and visible path from the bed. The family zone is located to encourage assisted movement. The room includes recessed patient lift infrastructure. Depending on the nursing staff and patient needs, different lift devices can be used. The window blinds are operable between layers of insulated glass to reduce dust and sound while still providing light control.
The nurse zone is a dedicated area for care givers near the entry of each room. This zone provides ease of access for both routine and emergent events. Each room is equipped with a handwash fixture equally accessible to patients, care givers, and visitors. Two rooms within each group of twenty are designed specifically as airborne isolation rooms.
The finishes in the patient room are neutral colors inspired by the local landscape. Various earth tones were chosen for the wall paint. The doors and casework have a warm wood look. All counter tops are fabricated from highly durable and cleanable solid surface material. The sheet vinyl flooring can be cleaned easily and has an aluminum oxide finish that protects against wearing. These finishes were chosen to provide a comfortable healing environment and ease of maintenance.
The patient room will continue to be refined through the course of construction. A mock-up has been created to allow staff to experience the space firsthand and provide input on equipment and fixture positioning. As construction proceeds model rooms will be built out and reviewed. The construction team continues to explore pre-fabricated room components to increase both the quality and speed of room construction. The common room design supports greater construction and operational efficiency.
