PPMC is always making strides to improve the patient and family experience and to ensure the necessary supports are in place for staff to provide efficient, quality care. Refreshing the floor plan and menu of the Atwood Café, streamlining the layout of the Heart and Vascular Pavilion, and upgrading our ORs are all recent projects that have aimed to propel PPMC forward, and we’re far from finished.
The Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit is undergoing a “long overdue” multi-phase renovation, with revamped fixtures, updated trims, and new handrails coming soon. The nursing stations will also be renewed, and more gathering areas will be created to create more patient- and family-centered layout. In the coming months, the acute dialysis unit will also increase its capacity to allow for increased patient access, and Cath Lab 4 will be upgraded.
In addition to renovating current physical spaces, new ones will also be created to support the significant growth in services and staff seen across PPMC. Construction has started on an all new Radiation Oncology suite with a linear accelerator, which will be joined with the existing infusion program to create a “one-stop shop” Abramson Cancer Center at PPMC. The suite will have one centralized check-in point for the spectrum of oncology, radiation, and infusion services, which will ensure a more seamless, patient-centered layout. The building will feature green roofs for drainage, and its second floor will provide four additional ORs. An updated version of the popular healing garden will be relocated in the process.
“I think the lineup of improvements we have ahead of us is really a sign that PPMC is invested in growing and expanding our physical spaces to meet the new needs of our patients and staff so we can continue to offer these excellent services to communities throughout the region,” said Bob Russell, MS, NHA, FACHE, associate executive director for operations.
The changes aren’t limited to PPMC’s campus, though — Penn Medicine Cherry Hill (PMCH) will also be undergoing a number of expansions. Since PMCH opened in 2016, PPMC has overseen the facility’s infusion and radiation oncology services, as well as the outpatient lab and pharmacy.
Over the next few years, PMCH’s exam rooms and procedure areas will all be expanded, but the current focus is expanding the space for cardiology diagnostic testing and increasing the number of infusion chairs. By increasing the quantity of infusion chairs to 25, about 50 patients will be able to come through a day without worrying about delays. Three infusion nurses, two certified nursing assistants, and a certified registered nurse practitioner will also join the team, with full staffing set for early January.
“Cherry Hill has been such a successful facility for us that we have been filling up our infusion chairs and exam rooms quickly,” said Greta Gilbode, MBA, associate executive director of Service Line Operations. “As our volume continues to increase, we want to improve access. This additional capacity will allow patients more flexibility when scheduling their treatments, and increased staffing will ensure a better and more efficient patient experience.”