Healthcare Design - December 2017 - 33

HALKIN MASON PHOTOGRAPHY

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

POEs are being conducted with both staff and
families to better understand if the new design
delivered on its goals to be a differentiator in
the market and become a new model of care for
Nemours' future outpatient clinics. To measure employee satisfaction with the new clinic
and the planning strategies, surveys were given
to staff members with questions ranging in topic from satisfaction with work spaces throughout the day and frequency of collaborations
with team members in the shared work area to
the ability to achieve all necessary aspects of
the patient visit within a dedicated exam room.
Among the POE results, 88 percent of staff
said they approve of the staff experience and 90
percent approved of patient interaction in the
new clinic. Furthermore, staff efficiency and
collaboration spaces also received high marks
(87 percent and 81 percent, respectively), while
the overall facility rating from the staff perspective was 86 percent one year after opening.
Additionally, flexibility goals are being met
with patient access teams taking advantage of
standardized room design to maximize pod assignment by specialty and volume fluctuation,
such as the therapy space that's active five days
a week across all rehabilitation modalities.
A POE survey on family experience is ongoing, but initial feedback is positive, with families reporting that the pods and their zoned
exam rooms foster caregiver interaction in an
open, respectful manner. They also appreciate

SHAPED
BY NATURE

families. Custom casework in each exam room
allows for the safe and secure storage of diagnostic equipment as well as printers with preprinted prescription paper to reduce time spent
leaving and returning to the room for commonly
used items.
The project team worked with a diverse
group of patients and their families to help map
the experiential goals for the new clinic, as well.
During early patient brainstorming sessions,
adolescent and young adult patients expressed
the loss of control they feel as they face a health
crisis and their strong opposition to the childish design they often find in traditional pediatric centers. To address these issues, the waiting
area is designed with specific zones for patients
of different ages, including a teen zone featuring a coffeehouse feel and cocoon-like furniture, which allows patients to briefly isolate
themselves from parents and siblings while
waiting for their appointment, all while remaining in the same space.

Nemours maximized
access to the outdoors
at its new site, including
an outdoor eating area
and playground at one
end of the building. The
surrounding acreage
is planned for future
use as education paths,
walking trails, and
recreation space.

A 35-acre piece of
farmland in a growing
community of young
families was purchased for the home
of Nemours duPont
Pediatrics, Deptford
in Deptford, N.J. A
detailed analysis of the
site revealed that a significant portion of the
acreage was a mix of
seasonal and permanent wetlands, which
were being drained
to the detriment of the
site's natural ecology.
The land was also
home to several
species of migratory
birds, a group of nesting Cooper's hawks,
and vernal pools that
contained blue-spotted
salamanders (which
are endangered in
New Jersey).
While these findings
reduced the buildable area on the site,
Nemours saw it as an
opportunity to restore
these natural wonders
for the benefit of the
community, as well as

serve as inspiration for
the campus design.
Array led a series
of advisory group
meetings to guide
site development and
program components.
The natural context was
identified as an element
that could be a catalyst
for re-imagining the
patient experience,
resulting in a first-floor
layout with an axial
connection leading
from the main entry,
through a two-story
breezeway housing a
shared waiting area
and entrances to the
clinics, to a café at the
end of the building.
This amenity space
has outdoor seating
and a playground,
which are located
near the perimeter
woodlands that were
preserved on the site.
A second-floor family area, serving the
surgery, infusion, and
MRI center, also enjoys
expansive views of the
preserved meadow.

DECEMBER 2017

33
Healthcare Design - December 2017

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