Allegiance Heart Center Earns National Design Recognition
March 6, 2009
Jackson, Mich. — Allegiance Health has earned the
ICU Design runner up award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
for the design of its new Cardiac Universal Bed (CUB) Unit. The Honorable Mention
Citation was announced at the 38th annual SCCM Congress in Nashville, Tennessee,
in February.
“We
are very pleased to have earned this recognition,” said Bob Kin,
executive director of the Allegiance Heart Center. “Our goal was to design
a first-class, patient-focused facility that would allow us to provide exceptional
heart care in a healing environment.”
Michelle Townshend, clinical nurse manager of the CUB unit, said “The
benefits of this well-designed facility have been clearly appreciated by our
patients. Along with the quality care provided by our physicians and care team,
the comfortable surroundings have made the patient experience here second to
none.”
The CUB Unit allows patients to stay in a single room for their
pre- and post-surgical cardiovascular care. Since opening last year, the facility
has provided heart care for hundreds of patients, including over 100 open-heart
surgery procedures.
The SCCM, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses,
together with the American Institute of Architects, partner to choose recipients
of the ICU Design Award. Only hospitals with new construction or a total renovation
of their ICU were eligible to participate. The award considers aesthetic appeal
and a healing environment for both patients and families, with equal weight
given to patient and staff safety and workflow design.
SCCM’s annual Congress
is the largest multi-professional critical care event of the year, drawing
nearly 6,000 physicians, nurse pharmacists, respiratory therapists and other
providers from around the world.