New Emergency Department Unveiled at Ocean Medical Center

HOUSTON, Texas — WHR Architects joined Ocean Medical Center for the opening of the new Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Emergency Care Center in Brick, New Jersey. WHR Architects designed the 140,000-square-foot emergency department as part of a new hospital building that is the first phase of a facility master plan for the OMC campus.

“WHR’s project team worked closely with administration and clinical staff at Ocean Medical Center to create a new model for the emergency department,” said Charles Griffin, AIA, FACHA, EDAC, principal-in-charge and senior project manager. “The hospital recognized that they had a real opportunity ‘to change the face of emergency care’ in their community. As a result, the new ED is not only more efficient, it’s more tranquil, private and less stressful.”

“It’s about time for an emergency department that understands patients better,” said Dean Q. Lin, FACHE, president of Ocean Medical Center. “We’ve taken into consideration the needs and wants of our patients, such as being seen immediately, having private rooms and comfortable amenities for family and friends.”

WHR’s working relationship with OMC facilitated the transformation with space that supported OMC’s goals. In 2009 WHR developed a master facility plan that would serve the hospital to 2020 with design for the first phase kicking off in 2010. The project includes the relocation and major expansion of the emergency department to the new four-story facility. The new emergency department occupies the first floor, with shelled space for future diagnostic programs on level two and a shelled space for a 36-bed nursing floor on level three. A new materials management — loading dock — infrastructure space was created at the basement level to expand the support services for the hospital. The building is designed to accommodate three additional bed floors to accommodate a total of 108 new private-patient rooms in the future.

“Involvement of the ED staff in the early planning stages of the project was a key contributor to the improved patient environment,” said Bhargav Goswami AIA, ACHA, LEED AP, medical planner for the project. “We worked with OMC staff on several studies aimed at improving efficiencies, as well patient and staff safety and satisfaction.” The research team will also be doing post-occupancy evaluations to measure results of design changes in the new facility.

For more than 25 years, WHR has completed multiple projects with New Jersey healthcare providers including Ocean Medical Center’s Acute Care for the Elderly unit and OMC’s sister hospitals in the Meridian Health System, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Riverview Medical Center in Redbank, as well as Morristown Hospital and Overlook Hospital in Summit for Atlantic Healthcare System.

Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Totaro.