From left: Clinical nurses Allison Bell, Colleen Marsh and Andrew Bober in Tower 16A

Over the course of five weeks in September and October, five patient care units moved to new locations in the Tower and Connors Center as part of the hospital’s ongoing patient progression efforts. These moves will improve the flow of patient care by grouping teams together that had previously been spread across different floors and locations. This process, called “regionalization,” enables staff to care for patients and communicate across multidisciplinary care teams more effectively and efficiently.

“Our efforts around patient progression ensure that we are placing patients in the right bed at the right time for the right amount of time, as well as improving care coordination and communication among all care team members,” said Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN, senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer. “Our goal in doing this is to deliver the best possible experience for all patients and their families.”

An undertaking of this magnitude—which involved the relocation of patients, equipment and services—has been possible due to the collaboration of many departments and teams, including Pharmacy, Biomedical Engineering, Nursing, Materials Management, Environmental Services, Engineering, Security, Information Systems, Patient Transport, Laboratory Administration and Operations.

“Every single component of each move was carefully planned,” said Linda McGrath-Adams, project manager in Real Estate, who managed the day-to-day operations of the moves. “Together, we ensured that patients could be moved as quickly as possible, without any disruption in their care, and that their new space was set up for them when they arrived.”

Added George Player, director of Engineering: “The amount of work completed in a very compressed schedule was incredible. It was a true team effort.”

Cathy Rumble Paccioretti, MS, RN, Float Pool nurse director, whose unit moved from Tower 12C to 16A, shared that the move is beneficial because it increases the unit’s capacity. “The timing couldn’t be better, as flu season is approaching, and we anticipate more patients in need of our care.”

Another move benefits Orthopedic Surgery patients. In its new location on CWN-7, patients have more space on the unit for ambulation, an important part of their recovery process after surgery. Orthopedic Surgery Chief Resident Thomas Parisi, MD, says it will be great to have all orthopedic patients on one floor because the care they require is unique and their rehabilitation requires a lot of equipment.

The Women’s Cancer Program and Gynecology Oncology, both formerly on CWN-7, moved to separate locations (Tower 12C and CWN-8 North, respectively) to accommodate the regionalization process, as 12C is a medical oncology unit and CWN-8N is a surgical unit. With the Women’s Cancer Program move, all medical oncology units are now located in the Tower.

“Moving staff, patients, equipment, furniture and supplies in such a short timeframe was extremely challenging,” said Jim McKinnon, manager of Materials Management. “Painting, upgrading systems and many other tasks required many people to work in a confined space before and after each move, and everyone helped each other consistently.”

Patient Care Unit Moves

Orthopedic Surgery :

Tower 16A moved to CWN-7N

Tower 16B moved to CWN-7S

Float Pool:

Tower 12C moved to Tower 16A

Gynecology Oncology:

CWN-7N moved to CWN-8N

Women’s Cancer Program:

CWN-7S moved to Tower 12C