MultiCare Health System

Good Samaritan's Patient Care Tower

February 7, 2011

Kathleen Thomas, RN, Clinical Implementation Manager for the MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Patient Care Tower project, gives an inside look at how this project moved from start to finish and shares how to get a sneak peek at this new facility. 

This chat session is closed but a transcript is available below.

Chat Host
12:59 PM
Welcome to MultiCare's E-Health Connect Chat. We will get started in a couple of minutes.
Chat Host
1:01 PM
Today’s chat is with Kathleen Thomas, RN, Clinical Implementation Project Manager with MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital.
Chat Host
1:01 PM
Kathleen, can you tell us a little about your background?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:01 PM
I started working at Good Samaritan in 2004. I worked as the Critical Care Director from 2004 to 2008. In 2008 I moved to the position of Clinical Implementation Program Manager for the Good Samaritan Patient Care Tower.
Chat Host
1:02 PM
What has been involved in the Patient Care Tower project?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:02 PM
The Patient Care Tower is a 3 year, 350,000 sq ft, $400 million facility with new emergency departments (ED), surgery suites, main entrance and 80 private patient rooms.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:03 PM
The project has been a true collaboration between owner, architect and contractor. This project has been completed in record time and under budget while still achieving the high level of quality we require.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:03 PM
This project never would have happened without our Affiliation with MultiCare. That allowed us to build this $400 million, 357,000 square foot new Patient Care Tower. Of course it never would have gotten done in this time frame without our collaborative partnership with our architects, CBJ, our contractor (Skanska) and our relationship with the City of Puyallup and the Department of Health.
Chat Host
1:04 PM
I understand the Tower will be one of the first "green" hospitals in the state of Washington. How is Good Samaritan achieving this?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:04 PM
There are many things that must be achieved to obtain LEED Certification.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:05 PM
Some of these items include utilizing local sourced construction materials from concrete to cabinetry, low VOC emitting materials, the addition of a green roof with native plants to absorb the sun’s rays not reflect it and using high efficiency air conditioning units to reduce energy usage.
Chat Host
1:06 PM
What services will be provided in the Patient Care Tower?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:07 PM
Most of the services provided in the existing hospital will now be relocated into the Patient Care Tower.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:08 PM
These include the emergency department, surgery, patient admitting, express services like lab, CT, MRI, etc and 78 private patient rooms.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:08 PM
The Family Birth Center, Mary Bridge Pediatric Unit and Rehabilitation will remain in the existing hospital as well as the use of inpatient rooms.
Chat Host
1:10 PM
What new technology will be included in the Tower and how will that affect the patient and visitor experience?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:11 PM
The Tower includes state-of-the-art technology including radio frequency identification (RFID), electronic health records (EHR) and distributed antenna system (DAS).
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:13 PM
RFID- RFID is a real-time location system for the purpose of tracking people and objects. Good Samaritan will be the only hospital in the region to employ this leading-edge technology in patient care. This technology will increase equipment tracking, improve productivity, improve efficiency, help easily locate staff and keep families informed of the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:14 PM
EHR- The Patient Care Tower will be fully integrated with MultiCare's secure electronic health record, MultiCare Connect. MultiCare Connect safely and securely stores patient records electronically — and makes them available instantly to the patient’s care team at any MultiCare facility.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:15 PM
DAS- The tower will include an internal antenna that provides uninterrupted cellular throughout the building. Also wireless Internet access for patients and visitors will be provided in various, easily accessible locations in the hospital.
Chat Host
1:16 PM
What is your role, exactly, in the Patient Care Tower project?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:19 PM
As Clinical project manager I am responsible for getting the Patient Care Tower ready to open, oversee the education and training plan so all the Good Samaritan staff are prepared to take patients and oversee the opening of each department into the Tower.
Chat Host
1:20 PM
How much planning, strategy and training goes into a project like this?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:22 PM
The planning takes years! I was the Critical Care Director before my current position and I was working on my piece of the pie even back in 2007. Many hours by many people is what it takes to get this project open.
Chat Host
1:24 PM
How long is it going to take to move over the services from the existing hospital into the new Tower and which services are moved first?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:25 PM
The "move" will be done over the course of 6 weeks. Moving section by section. We will begin by moving the Emergency Department on Feb 17. We will open for our first patients in the Tower at 3am.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:26 PM
The Feb 17 move also includes the information desk, Starbucks, the gift shop, patient access and customer relations. Then, we move the operating rooms and sterile processing, then express services and imaging and finish with the opening of the patient rooms on floors 5 and 6.
Chat Host
1:28 PM
It must be quite the challenge to orient staff, patients and visitors into a new facility. How is this being done?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:30 PM
We have a department at MultiCare called the Institute for Learning and Development (ILD) that is responsible for the education and orientation of all our staff to the new Tower.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:31 PM
This requires a mandatory computer-based learning module and tours. Depending on the role of the staff different levels of education are required, but we are all responsible for knowing our new facility to better serve our patients and visitors.
Chat Host
1:32 PM
If I am a patient coming to Good Samaritan on February 17, how would I access the hospital?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:34 PM
You will access the hospital, beginning at 3am, by entering from 15th Ave SE and 4th ST SE. This will take you to the new main entrance, give you access to the new 380-stall parking garage, and between the hours of 5am-9pm Monday - Friday, we will have FREE Valet service.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:35 PM
Main Entry hours are Monday-Friday from 5 am-9 pm and weekends/holidays from 6 am-9 pm. After 9 pm, please enter through the Emergency Department.
Chat Host
1:36 PM
Would that be the same for a woman in labor?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:37 PM
During regular hours, yes use the main entrance. After hours, please use the Emergency Department. Staff and/or volunteers will be available to provide directions.
Chat Host
1:37 PM
What does this Tower mean for the community it serves?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:39 PM
The completion of this Tower fulfills the promise we gave the community to bring a new, larger facility to the patients we serve. This new facility brings leading-edge technology and new experience that revolutionizes patient care.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:39 PM
We are so honored to have had the incredible support of this community over the years and we are proud to be able to give back in such a magnificent way.
Chat Host
1:40 PM
The Good Samaritan Foundation has raised over $8 million for environment of care enhancements. What are those enhancements?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:42 PM
Some of these enhancements include the addition of a healing garden, a chapel and meditation room, artwork and interior design and a heritage walkway that honors our past and where we came from.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:43 PM
Technological enhancements include the daVinci Robotic Surgery System, Smart Rooms and RFID.
Chat Host
1:43 PM
How can someone support the Tower and Good Samaritan?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:45 PM
You can support the Tower by purchasing a paver from the Foundation that will go into the Community Garden opening in the fall, donating to the capital campaign or just giving your time volunteering. You can learn more by visiting www.goodsamfoundation.org.
Chat Host
1:45 PM
When can people take a look at the new facility?
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:47 PM
We are having a Community Open House on Feb 13 from 12-4pm.
Kathleen Thomas, RN
1:48 PM
Everyone is invited. We will have tours, giveaways, raffle prizes, food and entertainment that includes the Seahawks Blue Thunder, Caspar Babypants, the Magician Nate Jester and so much more. You can learn more about the Community Open House by visiting http://www.multicare.org/goodsam/patient-care-tower-2
Chat Host
1:48 PM
That is all the time we have for today. Thank you so much, Kathleen, for taking the time to talk about the new Patient Care Tower.
Chat Host
1:49 PM
Join us again on March 16 at 12pm as we recognize National Nutrition Month by talking with Claire Kjeld, Registered Dietitian with MultiCare's Center for Healthy Living.