As the new Swedish Ballard Medical Center takes shape on Tallman Ave NW, the philosophy is set: offer patients fast, accurate medical information.
Under construction is a new 5-story building that will house the new emergency department, new imaging facility, Swedish Physicians Primary Care, Swedish Ob/Gyn Specialists, Swedish Midwifery and other specialty physicians.
The entrance of the emergency department is filled with natural light.
The emergency department will feature what is called “direct bedding.” The traditional triage followed by sitting in the waiting room is a thing of the past. “Our goal is to completely eliminate waits and delays for patients when they enter the emergency department,” Jennifer Graves, R.N., nurse executive of Swedish/Ballard tells us. “Patients will be greeted when they enter, immediately taken back to a room and then treated by what we’re calling a ‘care team,’” Graves says, “The care team will include a nurse, a technician and a physician or a physician’s assistant that will come into the room as a team and start the communication and their care and assessment of the patient immediately.”
Another angle of the entrance to the emergency department.
The emergency department will have two entrances, one for walk-ins and one for people being brought in by ambulance. This set-up creates a separation so a child with an earache doesn’t see a car accident victim being rolled in.
Interior construction. Dr. Rayburn Lewis, right, looks at the new home for Imaging.
The imaging facility in the new building will have state-of-the art MRI and CT Scan technology that will allow for quick, accurate results. Rayburn Lewis, M.D., executive and medical director of Swedish/Ballard tells us that if a woman needs an ultrasound, she just needs to go downstairs from the Ob/Gyn office or the Midwifery, get the procedure and the results will be ready by the time she gets back upstairs. “We want you to feel like that this is… again, what are the expectations of the 38 year-old high-tech person? They want high touch, they want it to be accurate and fast,” Dr. Lewis says. Swedish did a survey to find out who the “average” Ballardite is and discovered that it is a 37 year old white female who is married with .1 children and some college education.
The landscaping will be redone and the ‘concrete monorail’ will be removed.
The landscaping on the north side of the building will be completely changed. ‘The concrete monorail’ as Graves calls it will be coming down. “Right now it’s a little harsh in its appearance and I think it will really be nice to develop this area,” she says. A landscape architect is designing a community area with trees, greens and stone.
A skybridge will connect the new building to the existing hospital.
The public grand opening for the building will be held on November 6th. (Disclosure: Swedish Medical Center is a sponsor of MyBallard.)