LSU Health Care Services Division (HCSD) is a seven-hospital system that, with its partners, is the largest healthcare provider in Louisiana. After Hurricane Katrina, HCSD lost the use of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, its flagship tertiary care facility and Level 1 Trauma Center. In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinical facilities sustained heavy damage.
HCSD’s primary goal is to replace the unsalvageable Charity facilities with a patient and staff-centered facility that continues its public healthcare and teaching missions. In order to fulfill these missions, HCSD is planning to replace Charity Hospital with a 424 bed academic medical center (AMC). The VA’s replacement hospital campus is adjacent to the AMC, allowing collaboration between the two facilities. As of January 2010, the project is in the construction document phase. The LSU AMC is approximately 1.6 million gross square feet, and will include an inpatient tower, diagnostic and treatment space, and an ambulatory clinic building. Schematic design began May 2007 with construction completion planned for the end of 2013.
As part of their Pebble initiative, LSU engaged researchers at Georgia Tech to complete a report for Just-in-Time Research, with topics including:
- Wet vs dry shower
- Infection COntrol OR
- Perching Stations
- Stairwell use promotion
- Sterile cockpit for medication errors
- Trash can types in patient rooms
- Nurse station design examples
- Experience mapping protocol
- E-ICU case studies
- Role of the unit clerk
- Window coverings
- Discharge lounge
- Wayfinding
- Patient Resource Center
- Supply system
- Air infection control in clinic waiting areas
- Intra-operative MRI and CT
- Patient lifts