| ||
| Vol. 24, No. 2 |
| February 1, 2002 |
|
Where High-Tech Meets High-Touch Over a two-year span, the Denton A. Cooley Building, located at the corner of Bates and Bertner, has risen from ground level to 10 stories that comprise 327,000 square feet of space for patient care, basic research, education and clinical treatment. At a cost of $85 million, the building is the new home of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, formerly located inside St. Luke’s. Michael Jhin, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System president and CEO, calls the new facility a place where "high tech meets high touch," a "unique marriage of state of the science and state of the art." "The building features the most advanced technology in cardiac care available today, mixed with numerous personal touches to help patients feel at home," Jhin explained. Following is a building tour, from the ground up: Floor B1: Features the Cooley Auditorium, now the largest auditorium in the Texas Medical Center with a maximum seating of 521 and telemedicine capabilities that connect the auditorium, the cardiac catheterization labs and cardiovascular operating rooms to sites around the world. A donor wall recognizes contributors to the Texas Heart Institute Campaign, and is prominently featured next to the grand staircase, which leads to the first floor. Floor 1: Contains the main lobby, the new museum named after Wallace D. Wilson of the Wilson Hospital Foundation, and the Heart Information Center, where visitors can learn about the history of the Texas Heart Institute, new treatments for heart disease, and the steps necessary to maintain optimum health. Floor 2: Includes 12 new cardiovascular operating rooms, each containing 650 square feet, more than 60 percent larger than typical ORs. Two are domed for observation. Dr. Cooley will perform the first operation in the new building in March. Floor 3: Electrical and mechanical equipment is placed high above flood level. Floor 4: In lieu of a traditional floor, this level is a connecting point between the new Denton A. Cooley Building and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Floor 5: The library, learning resource center, visual communication services and administrative offices are here. The four-story atrium that rises from this level offers a contemplative, relaxing respite for patients, visitors and staff. Floors 6 through 8: Patient care areas are here, including Intensive Care Units, Transplant Unit, Progressive Care Unit, and patient rooms designed so nurses can observe four patients simultaneously from nursing stations. Capacity exists for 93 beds – 31 on each floor. Collaborating with architects and space planners, nurses helped design the rooms for optimum efficiency and patient comfort. Features include lowered windows to provide better views at bed level, soft colors and fabrics, indirect lighting, and plenty of built-in seating for family and guests. The patient chair, designed specifically for the Cooley Building, is based on the design of seats on commercial airplanes. Medical equipment is kept behind the patient’s bed to "deinstitutionalize" the ambience of the room. Floor 9: The University of Texas Institute of Molecular Medicine. Floor 10: Texas Heart Institute basic research laboratory space for studies in gene therapy, vulnerable plaque, molecular biology and heart failure.
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/02_01_02/page_02.html |