ST. JOSEPH HEALTH
At St. Jude Medical Center of Fullerton, Calif., construction is under way on a $285 million construction project to replace two aging patient towers with a new tower by fall 2014.
Currently, St. Jude has four towers, two of which are not compliant with California seismic building codes for hospitals going into effect in 2013 and beyond. The new, 120-bed tower will be code compliant and will have all private rooms; currently, most rooms are semiprivate. Lee Penrose, president and chief executive of St. Jude, said that with efficiencies gained through the conversion to private rooms, St. Jude will be able to decrease its bed count from 384, to 359. According to information from St. Jude, studies have shown that patients with private rooms have reduced lengths of stay and decreased recovery time, as compared with patients in semiprivate rooms.
Penrose said having all private rooms will allow for improved patient care. Research has shown that the use of private rooms cuts down on infections, particularly since private-room patients do not have to share a bathroom with another patient. Studies also show that private-room patients sleep better and have higher spirits because they are not distracted by a roommate. Also, they are able to have private conversations with their caregivers. Additionally, research has found family members feel more welcome — and thus visit more often and stay longer — when a patient is in a private room. They are able to provide more assistance to the patient, and this can help minimize the risk of falls.
Rooms at St. Jude will have space for patients' family members and other visitors.
Penrose noted that surgical suites in the new tower will be larger and better equipped than the ones in the old towers, and computers in the new suites will allow clinicians access to patients' medical records.
Once the new tower opens, the old ones will be used for administrative functions.
St. Jude hopes to raise upwards of $30 million in philanthropy to support the building project.
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