First New Hospital in 30 Years Opens in Virginia
STAFFORD, Va. — The first community hospital built in Virginia in 30 years opened its doors earlier this year.
The $140 million Stafford Hospital Center, a five-story, 250,000-square-foot facility designed by Ellerbe Becket, will serve the 124,000 residents of Stafford County, located between Washington D.C. and Richmond.
The facility, operated by MediCorp Health System, houses a 100-bed inpatient hospital with diagnostic treatment facilities, cardiopulmonary services and an emergency department.
The 12,500-square-foot emergency department has four triages, 14 treatment rooms and a 450-square-foot trauma unit.
The hospital is designed with space to expand and, because of its location near the nation’s capital, is built to respond to catastrophic events that could overwhelm the medical and public health resources in the area, according to designers.
A three-story atrium is designed to orient patients and visitors after they enter, and patient rooms are zoned for patients, family and caregivers.
The nurses stations are centralized in each unit and mobile computer workstations help streamline treatment, according to designers.
Construction of the hospital was planned on an aggressive schedule, with completion scheduled three years after the project’s conception. Delivering the hospital on time helped alleviate overcrowding at the MediCorp-operated hospital in Fredericksburg, according to Al Winchester, project director and architect for Ellerbe Becket.
Beating the competition also played a part in the expedited schedule, officials say. A competitor, HCA Virginia Hospitals, was in the process of applying for a certificate of need for a similar new hospital in the area at about the same time. HCA plans to open the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in late 2009.
The design of the Stafford hospital focuses on the surrounding natural environment with views of adjacent wetlands from nearly everywhere in the building, says Jim Curran, senior design director with Ellerbe Becket.
Green elements are also found throughout the building. In addition to natural lighting, low-VOC flooring, paints, ceiling tiles and accent wall coverings were used to allow for improved air quality.
“In the past 10 years, there has been a much stronger focus on quality of environment of a hospital, focusing on the healing environment,” Curran says. “In general, there has been a strong emphasis on the experience of the patient and family, and a nice environment for the staff. This location is an ideal spot for creating that environment.”
Future growth, including additional beds and specialized care centers, was anticipated in the construction plans. The building allows for a lateral expansion for additional beds and a bridge was built across the wetlands for access to another site for future construction.
Windows were incorporated throughout the facility to allow views of adjacent wetlands from nearly every room.