Like evidence-based medicine, evidence-based design is founded on intensive research. It looks beyond physical space and draws on the total sensory environment of sight, sound, touch and smell. Hospital services are arranged from a patient’s point of view. These are the benefits patients will experience at the new Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee, many of which are already included within Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee in Mequon. The five key elements are:

Access to nature — Large, private patient rooms with views of nature, including outdoor gardens, indoor plants and an abundance of natural light to reduce stress. Evidence-based design has demonstrated improved patient outcomes when nature is introduced to the healing environment.

Control – Patients will be given control of lighting, temperature and food. Research has demonstrated that the more a patient has control over his or her environment, the faster healing will occur.

Positive distractions – Pleasant artwork and music combine with views of nature to provide a measure of positive stimulation. The majority of the rooms will have views of Lake Michigan. Evidence shows that creating positive experiences contributes to healing, thus reducing hospital stays.

Social support – Larger room sizes not only accommodate more complex equipment, but also serve family and caregiver needs. The rooms include sleeping accommodations for family or friends.

Reducing environmental stressors – Noise is mitigated by creating a quiet environment through improved acoustics (ex., decentralized nurses’ stations, noise-reducing ceiling tiles). The sterility of the traditional hospital design is replaced by inviting glass atriums and large public concourses that will provide an open, friendly environment with panoramic views of Lake Michigan from public areas and patient rooms.

The 835,000 sq. ft. hospital will house 513 patient beds – a 32 percent reduction in the number of combined beds at the two existing east side hospitals.

Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee – a National Model for Safe, Efficient, Patient-Centered Care

Susan Borchardt’s mother would smile when the sun rose over Lake Michigan and shined into her hospital room at the Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee. The warm sunlight, Borchardt remembers, might have contributed more to her mother’s healing than most other things.

“Watching that sunrise was an amazing experience for both of us,” recalled Susan Borchardt, a Columbia St. Mary’s patient herself. “I think it really helped with both of our attitudes.”

So, when Borchardt hears that 80 percent of patient suites at the new Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee will have views of Lake Michigan, be on the cutting edge of technology, attract premier physicians and staff and serve as a national model for health care, she’s excited about the care she will get.

“The next time I am ill and I need to stay in a hospital, if I have a room where I could just lose myself and get away from my worries and pain,” Borchardt said.

Borchardt and thousands of others will have similar, calming experiences when they enter the expansive atrium and corridors of the new Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee when it opens in 2009. Natural light will warm the rooms and views of Lake Michigan from the 513 private patient suites will calm the spirit. Access to nature through extensive use of glass and inviting, open interior spaces will further enhance the environment.

The nine-floor hospital will incorporate the latest methods to reduce noise and improve air quality which will enhance patient comfort and safety. The hospital has been designed to feel like home - where patients can control lighting, and family and friends can be comfortable and even assist in meal preparation. Emphasis will be placed on the needs of the patient, not the health care system. For example, patients will have input on their daily schedule, which may mean that they may choose not to be woken at 5 a.m. for routine tests that can be safely administered at a more convenient time.

Commitment to Southeastern Wisconsin
From the moment architectural designs were on paper for the Columbia St. Mary’s building projects, the patients’ best interests were always at the forefront, said Linda T. Mellowes, Chair of the Board of Directors. “All of this is to better serve our patients,” she said. “We are assuring them that we will be able to sustain and grow our mission for decades to come. Our patients deserve that kind of compassionate, high-quality, cost-effective care.”

Mellowes added that a primary goal of Columbia St. Mary’s is to reduce the overall cost of health care. Combining two, aging hospitals into the innovative replacement hospital will save the health system $19 million in operating costs each year, which will more than offset the cost of building the new hospital.

The building project will also positively impact the local economy and contribute to the exciting revitalization that is currently taking place throughout downtown and the east side.