New Replacement Hospital Advances Patient Safety, Outcomes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Southern Illinois has a brand new full-service hospital that will offer advanced care and improved patient safety to the region. The 382,000-square-foot Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mt. Vernon, Ill. was designed by BSA LifeStructures and built by McCarthy Building Companies. The new hospital features private patient rooms, advanced nurse care stations and convenient outpatient services within walking distance of the hospital.

The 134-bed replacement facility for St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Incorporated advances patient safety and care by adding patient lifts to most patient rooms and equipping them with advanced call systems. As a result of meetings with patients and the hospital staff, the design of the patient room reduces the distance from the bed to the bathroom, where some 90 percent of patient falls occur. The patient’s bed is positioned at a 10-degree angle to provide the caregiver optimal space to treat the patient, while maintaining the distance from the bed to the bathroom. The patient rooms also have dedicated space for family members and feature two flatscreen TVs, one for the patient and one for the family area.

The Good Samaritan Regional Health Center also features the Outpatient Procedure Center, a one-stop destination for services such as endoscopy, angiography, infusion, nutrition, counseling, blood draw and more. The design of the procedure center consolidates services and entrances to shorten patient visits, improve wayfinding and limit patient walking distances.

A focus on art and nature encourage a stress-free environment for patients. Notable artwork in the hospital includes a stained glass wall in the hospital’s 100-seat chapel and an entry bell tower that features hand-crafted bells donated by community members. Multiple healing gardens on the hospital’s campus provide patients a view to nature and allow space for reflection. Over a dozen regional artists were commissioned to provide artwork that helps promote a healing environment.

The new replacement hospital was built using prefabrication construction techniques to reduce the project’s cost and construction time. The patient rooms’ headwalls and restrooms were constructed in an offsite warehouse where those components were assembled to increase productivity and quality. The project was designed to meet Energy Star and Green Guide for Healthcare standards.