Enhancing the Patient Experience

Projected to open in 2010, the east wing expansion will include two medical and surgical floors and one intensive care floor. With an eye on patient safety and satisfaction, the Medical Center is constructing all new rooms as single-patient rooms. These rooms will improve the work environment for staff and physicians, and allow the Medical Center to better utilize space by reducing the need to match patient room accommodations by condition and gender.

Stats on the east wing expansion:

• 65,000-square-foot addition and renovation to the existing Medical Center
• Constructed above and adjacent to occupied patient areas
• Addition will be three stories high, erected above an existing three-story structure
• Second floor will be fit out with a 12-bed intensive care unit and 9-bed acute care nursing unit, all as single-patient rooms
• Third and fourth floors will be fit out with acute care nursing units, 24 single patient rooms on the third floor and 23 single patient rooms on the fourth floor
• Project includes significant upgrades to the Medical Center's mechanical and electrical infrastructure including emergency power systems

Employee and Physician Input Imperative

Model rooms were built at an off-site location to guide the final design process. Healthcare staff and physicians then toured the models to provide feedback to ensure the best ergonomics and ease of patient care.

Investing in Patient Care

The Medical Center has borrowed little to finance these projects. Recently, the Medical Center earned an "A-" bond rating by Standard & Poor (S&P) and Fitch Ratings. The strong bond rating is expected to resonate with investors, in turn, benefitting the Medical Center when bonds are issued.

In addition, the community has responded significantly to The Foundation for Mount Nittany Medical Center's recent major gift campaign,supporting growth in the region's healthcare. The campaign is aimed at offsetting some of the cost for the expansion.

Preparations for Expansion

Throughout the expansion efforts, the Medical Center is taking measures to minimize the environmental impact of the new facility. Storm water will be captured and diverted back to protect coldwater fisheries and the neighboring Millbrook Marsh. To provide for the additional traffic flow, the north parking lot has been expanded to include 121 new parking spaces. Staging areas around the east wing of the Medical Center were also constructed with rock and stone to accommodate the heavy equipment that will soon be needed. Steel fabrication is currently underway and scheduled to be erected atop the existing east wing this spring.