The Christ Hospital performed the first ceramic hip replacement in the U.S. in 1982. And now the healthcare network’s main campus in Mt. Auburn, Ohio, near Cincinnati, is one of the first in the nation to provide comprehensive orthopedic and spine care, education, and clinical research in one location.
Last September, the hospital started receiving patients at its Joint and Spine Center, which adds 87 private patient rooms and 12 operating rooms with state-of-the-art surgical suites to a campus where, previously, joint and spinal care facilities had operated out of a series of buildings.
The hospital did not disclose the cost of this facility, although the Cincinnati Business Courier and other news outlets reported that its price tag was $280 million.
Some of Christ Hospital’s buildings dated back to 1889, and had aged to the point where they couldn’t respond to modern healthcare needs. In 2010, the hospital began working with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to devise a master plan to centralize its facilities, beginning with the Joint and Spine Center, with 381,000 gross square feet within seven stories, whose construction began in October 2011 and was completed in May 2015.
By bringing these specialties within one roof, the hospital sought to streamline patient care, and improve hospital staff efficiency.
SOM worked closely with the hospital’s healthcare professionals and patients to come up with a user-friendly design. “From the patient room outwards, the design supports individuals, families, and their caregivers in the recovery process and makes visible The Christ Hospital’s vital role in Cincinnati and the region,” says Brian Lee, FAIA, Design Partner at SOM.
The master plan clarifies the campus’s circulation and unlocked the decades-old aggregation of additions. A new concourse and entry link the Joint and Spine Center to existing buildings and connect the Center to a new parking garage via a skybridge. The north-south alignment of utilities and vehicular and pedestrian movement enables future expansion of the campus to the south.
The design team brought order to a color-coded wayfinding system that had grown into a complex patchwork of over 20 colors, by introducing a new scheme focused on simplicity and clarity.
That Center’s design, which specified 100,000 sf of glass, lets abundant natural lighting into the building, especially within patient rooms that also provide outside views that support well-being. Those rectangular rooms have wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling frosted and clear glass. Patients can control drapes in their rooms electronically.
Natural light extends to the core of the patient floors, where support and utility spaces are decentralized. Compact nurses’ stations are positioned next to patient rooms to allow caregivers a more active role in patient recovery, as well as to promote quietude by dispersing staff activities.
“The opening of the Joint and Spine Center allows us to transform the way care is delivered,” says Mike Keating, President and CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network. “This Center supports our mission of improving the health of the community and creating patient value by providing exceptional outcomes, affordable care, and the finest experiences.”
The design team was challenged to establish a highly functional integrated hub without disrupting the campus’s day-to-day operations. This was accomplished by taking a campus-wide approach: looking beyond the boundaries of the project, the design team created a series of internal corridors linked to adjacent buildings designed to eliminate disruptions to the patient experience. The resulting design creates a seamless, comfortable human experience for patients while separating vital “back-of-house” functions.
Technology improvements in the new Center include using swipe cards to track patient admissions and moves, a fully integrated electronic medical record system, and stand-along kiosks for patient registration and for scheduling appointments. The center includes a hydrotherapy pool and an in-water treadmill with underwater video capabilities for individualized recovery. The latest in robotic technology has also been installed in the Center.
The building includes advanced rehabilitation facilities, physician and administrative offices, conference and training rooms, and dedicated gathering spaces and lounges for families and visitors. Its outdoor space includes rooftop gardens with an infinity fountain for respite and rehab.
The Christ Hospital Health Network is a not-for-profit care facility with 528 beds and nearly 25,000 admissions in its most recent year reported, according to U.S. News & World Report. It is the second-largest healthcare network in Greater Cincinnati, with 3,500 employees, of whom about 240 (including 120 nurses and 65 surgeons) work at the Joint and Spine Center.
The Business Courier reported last year that Christ Hospital entered into an agreement with General Electric that could make the medical center a destination for GE employees nationwide who need hip or knee replacements.
The hospital has struck similar agreements with other employers that have self-funded healthcare plans, including Optum, the data services division of United Healthcare; and Mazak, a Japanese-based machine tool maker with a plant in Florence, Ky., and 1,000 employees in the U.S.
The Center's 87 rectangular patient rooms offer lots of daylight and outside vistas. For privacy, patients can control the drapes in their rooms electronically. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
Decentralized nurses stations help reduce noise on patient floors and allow caregivers to be more involved in patients' recovery. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
A rooftop garden provide respite for patients, family members, and other visitors. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
A large waiting area offers a view of Cincinnati. An estimated 100,000 sf of glass were specified for this project. Image: @Tom Rossiter/Courtesy SOM
Related Stories
Building Tech | Mar 14, 2023
Reaping the benefits of offsite construction, with ICC's Ryan Colker
Ryan Colker, VP of Innovation at the International Code Council, discusses how municipal regulations and inspections are keeping up with the expansion of off-site manufacturing for commercial construction. Colker speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 13, 2023
Next-gen behavioral health facilities use design innovation as part of the treatment
An exponential increase in mental illness incidences triggers new behavioral health facilities whose design is part of the treatment.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 6, 2023
NBBJ kicks off new design podcast with discussion on behavioral health facilities
During the second week of November, the architecture firm NBBJ launched a podcast series called Uplift, that focuses on the transformative power of design. Its first 30-minute episode homed in on designing for behavioral healthcare facilities, a hot topic given the increasing number of new construction and renovation projects in this subsector.
Sustainability | Mar 2, 2023
The next steps for a sustainable, decarbonized future
For building owners and developers, the push to net zero energy and carbon neutrality is no longer an academic discussion.
University Buildings | Feb 23, 2023
Johns Hopkins shares design for new medical campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks
In November, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine shared the initial design plans for a campus building project named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, the Baltimore County woman whose cells have advanced medicine around the world. Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Lacks, an African-American mother of five, sought treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early 1950s. Named HeLa cells, the cell line that began with Lacks has contributed to numerous medical breakthroughs.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 21, 2023
Cleveland's Glick Center hospital anchors neighborhood revitalization
The newly opened MetroHealth Glick Center in Cleveland, a replacement acute care hospital for MetroHealth, is the centerpiece of a neighborhood revitalization. The eleven-story structure is located within a ‘hospital-in-a-park’ setting that will provide a bucolic space to the community where public green space is lacking. It will connect patients, visitors, and staff to the emotional and physical benefits of nature.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 16, 2023
Coastal Construction Group establishes an attainable multifamily housing division
Coastal Construction Group, one of the largest privately held construction companies in the Southeast, has announced a new division within their multifamily sector that will focus on the need for attainable housing in South Florida.
Intelligent Lighting | Feb 13, 2023
Exploring intelligent lighting usage in healthcare, commercial facilities
SSR's Todd Herrmann, PE, LEEP AP, explains intelligent lighting's potential use cases in healthcare facilities and more.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.