VALLEY HEALTH WINCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER

Valley Health’s Winchester Medical Center selected E4H to fit out 60,000SF of shell space to create Neurology and Orthopedic units. The new units include patient rooms, support areas including a physical therapy suite, visitor waiting area, team area for staff use, a classroom, and an on-call staff suite with en suite toilets. The architecture and design team initially created a model patient room to better gauge size, and equipment needs.

The 56 new patient rooms are designed to an intermediate care standard and support flexible layouts to include various equipment such as bariatric lifts, a sleeping zone for family and in-room charting. In the patient rooms, a wall mounted sconce with telescoping reading lamp/arm lets families read or look at a tablet without disturbing sleeping patients. An angled storage cupboard at the foot wall was carefully designed to be able to hold patient belongings and bedding for visitors. A nurse substation is within the direct line of sight from all rooms, and the units support a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:3-6 depending on acuity.

In addition to the new patient rooms, staff support space was designed to improve staff efficiency and wellness. The unit hosts an on-call suite for up to 4 staff members, 4 private physician’s rooms for charting and prescription processing, 4 team areas for nurse, support staff, and MD charting, and 4 areas for medications and clean/soil handling.

Two bright, saturated colors were painted on inner core walls to differentiate the two departments, using mountain (teal) and orchard (apple green) themes to reinforce wayfinding. The Neurology department features green walls, while Orthopedics is marked by teal. Back-lit resin panels in apple green and teal at key junctures further reinforce the wayfinding concept. Slot lighting rings the saturated “color-cores” adjacent to the patient rooms and provides a backdrop for themed artwork. Circular suspended ceiling canopies are installed above nurse stations as a visual cue for approaching patients and visitors. Natural light was incorporated into the staff lounges.

E4H was also responsible for the planning and design of a 2,600SF Hybrid OR Suite.