Diagnostic Undergoes `Facelift'

To go with its new name, Methodist Diagnostic Hospital has a new face - a completely renovated entry area at its front door on Main Street.

The project, which began last October, was completed at the end of January. In March, the hospital sponsored a grand opening event for employees, physicians and their office staffs to showcase the new additions.

"It's a completely different look for this entryway," said Abraham Joseph, Diagnostic's director of engineering. "It's more open, more inviting and has a lot more light. We think patients and visitors will like the change."

The changes actually begin even before one steps inside the front door. The exterior front of the hospital features new granite fixtures and a new white stucco overhang.

At the grand opening Dr. Marc Boom, Diagnostic's president and CEO, unveiled plans for a new external sign outside the hospital's front door. "It's the first thing people will see," he said, "and it serves as a preview of our other changes once you walk inside."

A set of new electric doors greets visitors. Just inside the front door is a new security desk, with a glass roof and a completely refurbished security camera system.

If the new lobby seems larger and more spacious, it's because it is.

"We raised the old ceiling by 20 inches, and we've increased the capacity of the foyer by about 100 square feet," Joseph said.

More glass windows and a lighter color on the walls and ceiling give the area an airy, brighter appearance. A seating/waiting area across from the security desk has new carpeting and new furniture.

A more patient-friendly desk has replaced the old patient admissions window.

"That window had a kind of closed-in feel to it, and we wanted our patient admissions staff person to be out in the open," said Joseph.

New floor tiles in the corridor leading from the lobby are imported from Italy and feature a system of brown directional arrows that help patients and visitors navigate the hallway.

"Dr. Boom had a lot of input," Joseph continued. "Our goal was to create a facility that is warm and inviting, in keeping with our reputation with patients, physicians and staff as having a family-like atmosphere."

One of the challenges of this project, Joseph said, was keeping the entryway and hallways open to patients and visitors while construction was ongoing. Another was the continued full operation of all services and safety functions during construction, particularly in the period while Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations surveyors were on the hospital property.

"None of these safety issues or services to patients were compromised during the entire construction process," Joseph said. "That's a tribute to the dedication of our staff, because they actually had to work around all the ladders and paint buckets while this was going on."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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