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| Vol. 21, No. 22 |
| December 1, 1999 |
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New Hermann Pavilion by PATTY RIDDLEBARGER Memorial Hermann Healthcare System On Sunday evening, Nov. 7, more than 400 community and civic leaders, hospital board members and donors formally celebrated the grand opening of Memorial Hermann Hospital and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital's new $200 million Hermann Pavilion with a brief ceremony and grand tour of the pavilion.
"When Memorial Hermann Hospital first opened in 1925, it was hailed as the most modern and advanced hospital of its time," said James Eastham, senior vice president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Hospital. "Today, 75 years later, the majestic iron gates of the hospital's original Cullen Pavilion are once again welcoming patients and visitors to Houston's newest, most state-of-the-art facility - the Hermann Pavilion." Designed by Watkins Hamilton Ross Architects, Inc., and completed in 1999, the 800,000-square-foot Hermann Pavilion is the most recently completed major construction project in the Texas Medical Center. Guests at the grand opening were treated to tours of the "hospital of the future" and demonstrations of some of the space-age technology housed within the facility. A highlight for many guests was a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Life Flight in action. The new pavilion houses 229 beds, most of which are replacement beds transferred from the hospital's 47-year-old Robertson Pavilion. The building's Mediterranean-inspired architecture reflects the style of Memorial Hermann's original Cullen Pavilion. At the heart of the new pavilion is a soaring, four-story atrium that connects the hospital's three other existing pavilions. Each floor of the new 12-story edifice is the length of a football field and 150 feet wide. Patient care floors of the Hermann Pavilion feature a pod concept - with each nurses' station at the center of a pod of rooms - all located around the perimeter of each floor. Support areas are centrally located on each floor. Services housed on the ground and lower floors in the new pavilion include the Galtney Level I Trauma/Emergency Center, expanded outpatient surgery facilities, an imaging center and an education center. Among the innovations and added features included in the new trauma/emergency center is Houston's first dedicated facility for Level I pediatric trauma care. Another innovation in the trauma/emergency center is the patient tracking system. The technology, which is so new that it is featured in only three other institutions across the country, enables physicians and staff to monitor at a glance all patients, staffing assignments and even receive real-time reports on waiting times. Memorial Hermann Women's Services is located on floors five and six. This area includes Houston's largest, LDRP unit. The unit consists of 50 LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum) suites which enable expectant mothers to spend their entire birthing experience in one room. All nurses on the unit carry special, low-frequency wireless phones so when patients need assistance, they can phone their nurse directly. Floors seven, nine and 10 house Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, a 150-bed, full-service, dedicated children's hospital. The Level II neonatal intensive care unit on the seventh level comprises 88 beds. Less critically ill infants are cared for in the Level II nursery. When babies are ready to leave the hospital, seven "care-by-parent" rooms provide parents an opportunity for hands-on training where staff provides support and assistance until parents feel fully prepared to provide the special care their babies need at home. A dedicated breast pumping room offers nursing mothers a private and relaxing area to express milk for their babies' needs.
The 10th floor accommodates The Children's Center (general pediatrics). The unit features a cheerful sunroom and town square with artificial trees, lamp posts and playful trompe l'oeil designs. A large parents' lounge with couches, a coffee station and kitchen are also among the unit's amenities. The ninth level houses Pediatric Intensive Care and the Children's Pediatric Special Care Units. Pediatric kidney, heart and transplant patients are admitted to the special care unit. Unique features here include a lounge for parents and a bank of sleep rooms for parents holding vigil over a critically ill child. The Life Flight helipad and command center are located on the roof of the building. Life Flight offices and administrative quarters are located immediately below, on the 11th floor. An elevator helps staff whisk patients directly to the trauma/emergency center or operating room if necessary. Construction on the remaining floors is slated for completion in the spring of 2000.
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