Patients and visitors arriving at the main entrance to the new Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee will walk into a spectacular two-story atrium lobby. Filled with light and easily accessible from both the parking garage and Lake Dr., the lobby provides a welcoming ambiance and comfortable waiting areas. Located on the corner of North Ave. and Lake Dr., it features a dramatic semi-circular staircase to the second level and a stunning view of Lake Michigan.
To the left of the lobby entrance, a main walkway or promenade features a wall of windows that flood the area with natural light, while providing visitors with a point of reference for easy way-finding. The promenade leads to Columbia St. Mary’s state-of-the-art Cardiovascular Institute and Neuro Muscular Institute as well as Testing and Treatment.
Comprehensive services are provided within each Institute, offering patient’s convenience, efficiency and specialty services without a feeling that they are in a large facility. A separate registration point for each patient population will help to reduce long waiting lines, thus improving the patient’s experience.
A new chapel and ecumenical center can be found directly off the lobby near the staircase. It offers a spiritual place of comfort, solace and restoration for those looking for a peaceful atmosphere for worship or personal meditation. A coffee lounge to the right of the main entrance caters to those who want a place to refresh and relax.
Patient privacy is maximized via a discrete drop-off and discharge lobby that is located on the north side of the hospital near the parking garage. Transfer vans and families will be able to drop off patients away from public view and traffic, underscoring ongoing sensitivity to patient needs..jpg "Atrium-Lobby2.jpg")
Level One Departments
- Atrium Lobby
- Cardiovascular Institute
- Neuro Musculoskeletal Institute
- Testing & Treatment
- Chapel/Ecumenical Center
- Discrete Drop-Off/Discharge Lobby
- Coffee Lounge
The Mezzanine Level (level two) of the new Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee offers one of the most breathtaking views of the North Point Water Tower and Lake Michigan in the city. Patients and visitors to the hospital can enjoy that stunning view while relaxing in the Public Lobby.
Rehabilitation is the primary patient service located on the Mezzanine. Patients recovering from cardiovascular or neuromuscular illnesses will receive the most advanced treatment available at Columbia St. Mary’s dedicated Cardiovascular and Neuro Muscular Rehabilitation Departments, located directly above the Cardiovascular and Neuro Muscular Institutes on Level One.
The Patient Access Department, formerly called Admitting, will address patients’ financial counseling needs as well as help with questions regarding their stay. It also serves as home base for mobile Patient Access employees who will register inpatients at their bedside.
Columbia St. Mary’s physicians will have direct access from their Level Two reserved parking area to the Mezzanine Level. Medical Staff and Administrative Support offices are conveniently located near that entrance, along with well appointed conference rooms and a physician lounge.
An environmentally controlled bridge and walkway to the West Facility (Clover Leaf) second floor connector provides separate transit corridors for patient and visitor flow.
Finally, mechanical systems occupy a large portion of the Mezzanine Level, to the north of the Rehabilitation Departments.
Mezzanine Departments
Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Institute Neuro Muscular Rehabilitation Institute Physician and Administrative Offices and Lounge Patient Access Department Discrete Patient and Visitor Bridge and Walkway to West Facility Physician Parking Mechanical Systems
Patient care throughout the new Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee will be driven by the latest in science and technology, yet tailored to meet our patients’ personal needs. This is clearly evident on Level Three where medical procedures will be performed. State-of-the-art Heart Catheterization (Cath) Labs, Medical Imaging suites and GI/Endoscopy suites will be located on this level. Patients requiring procedures will check in at the Level One Institutes and proceed via elevator to Level Three where they will be escorted to a private room designed for preparation and recovery after procedures. Patients’ families are welcome to wait in the room during the procedure.
The Cath Labs, Medical Imaging and GI/Endoscopy departments adjoin a wing with 36 patient rooms. Each patient room is designed to emphasize patient well-being, with a private bathroom and large windows providing a scenic view of the city. Two nearby lounges are available for patients’ friends and family.
In the event of a cardiac emergency requiring non-surgical intervention, a patient can be brought directly up from the Emergency Department to the Cath Lab via the trauma elevator on the north side of the department. Adding to the patient’s comfort level, they will likely see the same staff throughout their stay in the department.
"In many cases, patients will flow directly from Level One by elevator up to Level Three and remain there before, during and after their procedure. It will be a much more calming environment," said Therese Pandl, Executive Vice President/COO.
To accommodate a potential demand due to a disaster or pandemic, all of the beds on Level Three are licensed as patient beds.
Radiology offices will be located in the northeast corner of Level Three, near the exit to the parking garage and the walkway to the West Facility.
Level Three Departments
Careful research was done in the planning of Columbia St. Mary's new Milwaukee hospital to provide our patients, staff and employees with a facility that exceeds all expectations not only in the realm of new technology, but as a quality patient care facility and an outstanding place to work. For example, the 12 new operating rooms on Level Four were designed to be 650 square feet in size. "Our research showed that 650 square feet was an ideal size for a surgical suite, whereas 800 square feet was too large and required too much distance in the room for staff," explained Therese Pandl, Executive Vice President and COO of Columbia St. Mary's.
Additionally, some surgical suites have "flexible" space between them that may be used in the future integration of MRI and CT imaging technology to enhance the surgical capabilities of Columbia St. Mary's physicians. This space was designed to address emerging needs that are not completely determined today.
Just south of the surgical suites on Level Four are three 12-bed outpatient surgical units. Patients coming to Columbia St. Mary's for outpatient surgical procedures will be admitted to a room in one of these units prior to surgery and will return to the same room afterwards. If necessary, the rooms can accommodate patients who must remain overnight.
Two spacious lounges are situated between the three units for the comfort of patients' families and visitors. All of the rooms and lounges have large windows with a view to the south, overlooking the city.
A Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) featuring 24 separate patient areas is located on Level Four just to the east of the surgical suites. In the PACU, nurses can observe patients after surgery and before they are returned to their rooms.
On the east side of Level Four in what will be called the Patient Tower are two 12-bed state-of-the-art Critical Care Units. Critical Care I is focused on patients with Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic conditions. Critical Care II has a Medical Surgical and Neuro-Muscular focus. Three family lounges are situated throughout the area.
Staff lounges, conference rooms and shared office space are also located on Level Four.
Level Four Departments
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