OCTOBER 2008

While the process of establishing a concrete Facility Master Plan is a long and arduous task, the future plan for St. Bernard Hospital has picked up momentum and managerial staff was recently provided a glimpse of things to come.

PFB Architects, the firm charged with creating a plan for the future development of the hospital campus, recently visited St. Bernard to discuss and present plan concepts. PFB is a nationally recognized for their specialized healthcare architecture, supported by an array planning and design experts. They will be responsible for generating the design schematics of our “Hospital of the Future,” recommending the expansion of existing departments throughout the hospital and reassessing the footprint of St. Bernard Hospital.

In meeting with staff members, a crucial part of the planning process called a “charette,” managers and hospital executives are afforded an opportunity to provide valuable feedback during the design process. Discussions included the potential for new building construction and renovation of existing structures.

“Seeing the designs helps people think in less general terms, instead in more specific terms,” says PFB’s Steve Johnson adding that diagrams of square footage and department alignment takes on a more realistic feel when presented in large scale form.

Feedback included comments on location of departments, entrances and exits, and managers were eager to find out if their floor plans would increase with a new facility layout. “Most departments will grow,” according to Johnson, “some a little, some a lot. Everyone is enthusiastic about that.”

As part of the overall strategic scheme, St. Bernard recently purchased the GOES Building, a former lithography plant which currently stands vacant adjacent to the hospital. The building, or at least the land on which it currently stands, will play a pivotal role in the Facility Master Plan.

“We’re looking at various options for use of the building,” says Vice President of Planning and Development Charles Holland. “The space provides us with a great variety of opportunity,” he says, including renovation of the building, demolition of the existing structure, or construction of a new building or parking area.

ABOUT THE ARCHITECTS
PFB Architects, located in Chicago, is a nationally recognized for their specialized healthcare architecture, supported by an array planning and design experts. They will be responsible for generating the design schematics of our “Hospital of the Future,” recommending the expansion of existing departments throughout the hospital and reassessing the footprint of St. Bernard Hospital.