Emergency Department Observation Unit Opens at New Jersey Medical Center

An emergency department observation unit has opened at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Jersey Shore University Medical Center (New Jersey). Designed by DIGroup Architecture’s Healthcare Studio, the 18-bed observation unit helps reduce emergency department patient volume and increase care-efficiency standards.

Offering maximum visibility from the nurse’s core, the 7,645-square-foot unit is designated for patients expected to be discharged home or transferred for an extended stay once the appropriate beds become available. Key design elements include calming finishes, a faux-wood finished ceiling and creative wayfinding to achieve a less-clinical atmosphere.

“Due to the orientation of the overall space at the intersection of where three different buildings converge, the DIG team subdivided the unit to create duplicity for two staffing stations while retaining singular shared support spaces and equipment,” said Bob Ryan, principal, who spearheads the firm’s healthcare studio. “To streamline the process from design to construction start and completion, we employed the use of digital scanning, which proved extremely useful in locating all columns by popping existing tiles.”

Photo courtesy of DIGroup Architecture/Nicholas Venezia