Gresham Smith-Designed Hospital Enhances Care for Northwest Indiana Community
Gresham Smith is proud to announce the completion of Community Health Systems affiliated Northwest Health – La Porte, a full-service, acute care hospital that replaces the Indiana community’s aging facility. Located in the heart of downtown, the new hospital prioritizes the patient experience, staff satisfaction and the overall delivery of care in a convenient setting close to home.
“When designing the new hospital, our team focused on creating a functional, efficient facility that meets today’s operational needs while also providing adaptability and flexibility for the future,” said Greg Gore, AIA, Project Executive at Gresham Smith. “La Porte’s hospital has long been an anchor for downtown activity and I’m proud to say that the new hospital will remain a vital part of the community’s wellbeing for decades to come.”
The four-floor facility’s clean, modern façade represents the quality care provided inside and sets a new design standard for the health system’s future projects. Large windows maximize views of the surrounding area, and high-performance, low-emittance glass improves energy efficiency without compromising the amount of ambient light.
Inside the 200,000-square foot facility’s two-story lobby, visitors are guided to their destination via large scale graphics and visual cues. A monumental stair leads to a shared waiting room on the second floor and registration areas are designed to maximize patient privacy. Separate staff and patient circulation patterns improve clinical efficiencies, while dedicated staff elevators for materials, equipment and food service offer added convenience.
To support patient healing and family involvement, 84 private inpatient rooms include a private bathroom, flat screen TV, room-by-room temperature control and a recliner, as well as electronic information boards that display patients’ medical information and care plans. To improve care efficiencies, each floor has multiple nurse stations, as well as separate observation stations outside patient rooms in the intensive care unit. In addition to inpatient services, the new hospital also houses emergency services, outpatient surgery, cardiovascular services in a heart center setting, critical care, orthopedic services, and birthing & family care services.
Gresham Smith also designed the adjacent 55,000-square-foot, three-story medical office building, which will house physicians’ offices, the infusion center, sleep lab and wound care when it opens in 2021.
