New Patient Pavilion Opens at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

A ribbon cutting on April 14 marked the opening of the new five-story Patient Pavilion at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Located in Lebanon, New Hampshire, the 212,000-square-foot building broke ground at the state’s only academic medical center in July 2020.

It is the first expansion of DHMC’s inpatient facilities since the medical center opened in 1991. The first patients are expected to be admitted to the pavilion on Monday, May 2.

The five-story inpatient tower takes advantage of its elevated site and forest-enclosed, natural setting with large windows that allow plenty of daylight to enter and views outward over the landscape. The building’s curved form defines a welcoming arrival sequence and optimizes views to nature from the patient rooms. The V-shaped floor plate connects to existing buildings, while creating new usable spaces and exterior courtyards that serve as areas of respite. The new facility boasts:

• 64 single-occupancy, adaptable inpatient rooms with appropriate clearance, power and medical gases to convert to critical care without renovation
• New medical specialty and heart and vascular units
• New nursing education center

Each 32-bed floor is divided into identical pods of 16 beds, with clinical support space provided for each pod. These pods provide flexibility in dividing the floor by patient needs. Each floor connects horizontally into the existing DHMC building, providing multiple options for patient flow to and from the diagnostic and treatment areas.

The integrated design includes tools to reduce strain and increase workplace safety. Thoughtful and specific spaces have been added to remove barriers to providing the best care, including modern co-working spaces and nursing hubs located among the patient rooms, technology advancements to improve patient experience. Access to more natural light and respite rooms ensure dedicated space is available for staff to recharge.

The pavilion features two levels of emergency generators, specialized electric service, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as high-quality water and air-filtering systems.

Two unfinished floors allow for space to grow as complex medical care increases with Northern New England’s aging population. The project team includes HDR and Consigli Construction.

Ribbon cutting image source: dartmouth-hitchcock.org

Exterior/interior photography: HDR/Dan Schwalm