Newport Hospital, a member of the Lifespan health system, today broke ground on a $12.5 million project that will transform the hospital’s emergency department, nearly doubling its treatment and exam rooms and providing new, specialized space to serve behavioral health patients.

Designed by E4H Environments for Health Architecture, an architecture firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, the five-phase renovation/expansion is slated for completion in September 2019. The existing ED will remain operational throughout construction.

Once complete, Newport Hospital’s 21,000SF renovated emergency department will provide 29 total treatment areas, an increase from 17 currently. The project will also add relevant support space, including a Rapid Treatment area consisting of six exam rooms, a Clinical Decision Unit consisting of four 23-hour stay rooms, and a behavioral health pod with four treatment rooms separate from the general ED population to ensure an appropriate environment for patients experiencing behavioral health issues. The new emergency department will also offer three triage spaces for arriving patients, compared to one currently.

Overall, the project involves renovating 11,000SF of existing ED space, converting 6,000SF from adjacent outpatient and administrative areas to ED use, and creating new interior finishes for another existing 4,000SF.

“Newport Hospital’s vision has been not only to increase emergency department space, but make it function more efficiently and effectively for patients, physicians, nurses, and support staff,” said Chris Anglese, LEED AP, associate at E4H. “This renovation project will improve patients’ experience year-round, and especially during the busy summer tourism months, while also ensuring a higher level of sensitive, dignified treatment for Newport Hospital’s behavioral-health patients.”

“This transformative project is an investment in the health and safety of our community, allowing us to keep pace with the significant changes in health care and the evolving needs of our patients for years to come,” said Crista F. Durand, president of Newport Hospital. “The ED is the front door to our hospital, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, serving anyone who needs our care. Once complete, the new design will be a model of best practices in emergency medicine, and a lasting legacy for the people of Newport County and beyond.”

Each treatment space is being designed and appointed similarly to maximize operational flexibility. Dedicated wall-mounted workstations within each treatment space which will facilitate bedside registration and documentation to provide timelier patient registration, care, and check-out. The new nurse workstations are positioned to maximize sightlines and offer more walking space in and around the stations.

Some of the other key features of Newport Hospital’s renovated ED include:

• An open reception desk and waiting area
• A separate new lounge and waiting area for patients and their families receiving clinical results, to improve utilization of exam rooms and reduce patient wait times
• An expanded staff lounge and staff conference room and larger, modernized medication room
• Upgraded finishes at administrative support areas
• Energy-efficient, high-performance LED lighting with dimming controls for occupants

At the start of the project, E4H conducted a Lean 3P (Production Preparation Process) workshop to inform the schematic design of the new ED. Across three days, more than 70 hospital employees from multiple departments consulted and collaborated on key decisions regarding the future state of care delivery.

Through an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) approach, E4H and Newport Hospital are collaborating with general contractor Suffolk Construction and engineering consultants BR+A Engineers to optimize the project’s design and outcome and maximize cost efficiencies in design, construction, and future operations.

For more information, visit www.e4harchitecture.com.