Memorial medical center of east texas

After fifty years of expansions and renovations Memorial Medical Center of East Texas determined their facilities were no longer as efficient for patients or delivery of up to date healthcare as they desired (Emergency facilities were on the first floor, surgery was on the seventh floor and outpatient surgery was on the second floor in an outdated patient wing). 

 

The objective was to create an efficient process for patients checking into the hospital for day surgery and to shorten the distance from the front door to their destination while eliminating the typical “hospital maze” syndrome of wayfinding. Moving the emergency department adjacent to surgery was also a criterion for improved healthcare delivery. 

 

Creating a medical mall connecting the major east/west circulation spine in the original facility, the mall has become the new entrance to the facility and essential services are convenient and easily visible. With the new surgery department directly adjacent to both outpatient surgery and emergency, patients no longer have to be transported long distances. The north side of the mall houses the meeting spaces and three stories of medical office building, with the waiting rooms on the upper floors containing balconies overlooking the new mall. A separate entrance into the medical office building allows patients to see doctors without entering the hospital. 

 

Incorporating daylight into the facility through the use of a three-story glass wall at the entrance and a skylight running the length of the mall gives the hospital a warm and inviting feeling. The desire to set a new standard for efficiency, comfort and ambience has led to an expansion that avoids an institutional feel and creates an efficient facility consistent with twenty first century healthcare delivery standards.