Healthcare Design - September 2023 - 34

© ROBERT BENSON, COURTESY GENSLER
The original plan was to build at least 15 iCare facilities throughout Massachusetts
and New Hampshire within five years, and although factors like
COVID-19, capital availability, and regulatory hurdles delayed that plan,
the first iCare facility opened in Salem, N.H., in September 2022.
TEMPLATED APPROACH
The design process started with " a template that was location agnostic, "
Gainer explains, allowing the core components such as clinical exam
rooms and imaging capabilities to be modified to meet the available space
and programmatic needs at each site. This resulted in three size options
reflecting different program mixes-ranging from a small 20,000-squarefoot
primary care clinic with some specialties and simple imaging capabilities
to a 40,000-square-foot clinic with multimodal imaging capabilities to
a 60,000-square-foot option that includes an ambulatory surgery center.
With the goal to " simultaneously maximize patient care space while improving
the experience for patients and providers, " Gainer says the project
team used Lean thinking and visual signaling to make the clinics easy
to navigate and efficient to use. For example, all of the iCare facilities will
feature shared staff workspaces instead of individual offices and flexible,
modular exams rooms that can swing to suit any specialty. These elements
eliminate extra steps and wasted space, Gainer explains, allowing the facilities
to pack in more services and providers than a traditional clinic with
dedicated departments.
However, each facility can also be customized with local artwork and
place-based graphics-like the mural that spans all three levels of the Salem
building. Material selection may also differ from one site to the next,
although sustainability will be a priority in every decision. " We intentionally
selected materials with a low carbon impact by specifying materials
with recycled content, working with manufacturers that take back and recycle
materials, and avoiding materials that contain harmful chemicals, "
says Scot Latimer, principal and health sector leader at Gensler.
Gensler and MGB began planning the first few iCare locations simultaneously,
and Salem became the first to market-serving as the pilot
site. Spanning 60,000 square feet over three floors, the Salem facility
contains the full spectrum of programmatic components in the iCare
34
SEP TEMBER 2023
TOP: The north façade of
the building features a
high-performance envelope
of tripe-glazed windows
to let in natural light
while reducing energy
usage. ABOVE: Reception
desks throughout the facility
feature natural, sustainably
sourced wood and
warm lighting to create an
inviting first impression.
template-featuring advanced imaging on the
first floor; four outpatient operating rooms
on the third floor; and 31 flexible exam rooms
across several floors that support primary care,
behavioral health, medical/surgical care, and
other services like physical therapy and cardiac
testing. " This is the most clinically dense
project I have ever worked on, " Latimer says.
" The building packs a lot of services into a tight
envelope while maintaining a calm, restorative
environment for patients and providers. "
EXAM ROOM EFFICIENCIES
Instead of segregating departments into
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