Saint Barnabas Medical Center, a flagship facility of RWJBarnabas Health, recently unveiled a new five-story, 241,000-square-foot addition to the Livingston medical center in New Jersey. The project team included Francis Cauffman and WM Blanchard Construction Company.
The Cooperman Family Pavilion, with its towering glass entrance, will become the new point of entry for all patients and visitors to the medical center. The pavilion will encompass 114 new private, single-patient rooms; an expansive 56-bassinet neonatal intensive care unit, which is three times the size of the previous NICU; outpatient diagnostic services; a central registration area and same-day surgery suite. A new three-story parking garage has also been built to accommodate more than 400 vehicles.
The design team researched industry best practices in building a healthier hospital with a primary focus on family centered care and a healing environment. Patients, family members, community members, physicians and staff all provided their suggestions and input.
The resulting expansion is a beautiful, natural light-infused building that reflects Evidence-Based approaches to promote healing and improve care — from curb-free showers to prevent falls, to acoustical materials to lessen noise, to hybrid operating suites that allow surgeons to transfer easily from minimally invasive to open procedures.
The plan for the NICU was influenced by the Patient Advisory Council, which brings together former patients’ families for their perspective on how to provide better care and services to families in the NICU. Based on this information, the NICU will have a series of single rooms in a pod design that allows families to bond with their baby within a few steps of nearby medical staff. There will also be two new family rooms that offer parents the opportunity to sleep over and care for their baby within the hospital environment prior to their discharge, further reducing anxiety and facilitating the transition home.
Photos courtesy of Bjorg Magnea.
