El Camino Hospital

El Camino Hospital first opened in 1961 as a beacon of hope and as a provider of the highest level of medical services to Silicon Valley communities. Today that tradition continues with a recently completed modern healing environment.

The new 488,000 square-foot hospital designed by KMD, followed a number of guiding principles throughout the designing, planning and construction to maintain focus on building a community hospital of the future. The new building accommodates 223 licensed beds - 85 percent private - and an emergency room/department holding an additional 36 beds. The building also includes a 10-bed observation unit, a conference center, 16 operating/interventional treatment rooms, a multi-track Emergency Department and flexible nursing modules with 28 critical care and 180 acuity adaptable beds.

Design for El Camino Hospital started in late 2001 to comply with state law – following the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. The existing hospital could not be retrofitted to comply, so the hospital collaborated with the designers, physicians, nurses and the community to create a new model for healthcare. The conceived plan not only adheres to seismic standards, but also improves hospital efficiency, while treating patients in a family-friendly environment that promotes healing.

---

The Healing Hospital

In addition to providing the latest technologies, innovative physicians and committed nurses and clinical teams, El Camino Hospital provides a healing environment.

• A mediation garden on the north side of the hospital
• Lots of natural light and view of gardens
• A mediation room on the first floor
• The Healing Arts Program featuring musicians, art classes, stand-up comedy, and visits by specially trained therapy dogs.

---

Large glass windows and 9-foot-4-inch high ceilings allow natural light to fill rooms and corridors. Most patient rooms on the second, third and fourth floors are private, with their own showers and bathrooms. All of these rooms give patients an unobstructed view of the distant mountains, the Bay, the Valley or the garden courtyards. The natural light and calming views add to the healing environment.

The hospital uses public space efficiently by including family waiting areas with large window views on each of the in-patient floors at the corners of the building. The emergency waiting room features separate zones for friends and family, as well as a play area for children.

---

The Quiet Hospital

Working with an acoustical engineer, architects and designers implemented several strategies to minimize noise.

• Acoustic panels around busy areas such as nurses’ stations
• Stretched-fabric ceilings and sound-absorbing material behind the wood-slat ceilings
• No overhead convenience paging; instead physicians and staff use wireless communication devices.

---

In the area of technology, the new facility touts some impressive equipment. The hospital has an MRI with twice the magnetic force of regular imaging machines so that doctors can actually see the neurons in the brain. A CT scanner provides images with 128 slices, compared with 64 before.

The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology to promote patient safety, including computerized order entry, electronic medical records and wireless communications. In the new hospital that level of commitment to patient care through technology continues with the installation of a wireless system throughout the entire facility to guarantee wireless coverage everywhere. The staff can access patient information at all times while on the move.

---

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Throughout the designing, planning and construction, these key guiding principles helped maintain focus.

• Embrace technology and innovation
• Supportive patient and family friendly atmosphere
• Operational efficiency
• Design for future flexibility
• Staff friendly
• Create a sense of confidence in a comfortable and park-like environment
• Develop an effective plan that provides a clear sense of entry as well as convenient and accessible parking
• Strike a balance between first costs and long-term costs (identifiable paybacks)
• Where practical, utilize natural features, “green” architecture and sustainable campus systems in design
• Minimize disruption during construction