The overall objective for the 60,000-square-foot Coquille Valley Hospital replacement project was the transformation from a provider-centric model into a patient-centric experience. This goal was achieved through the expansion of medical services, incorporation of wellness programs, improved operational and staffing efficiencies, enhanced patient and staff safety, and space flexibility. Additionally, significant topographic and environmental challenges were resolved to meet both the financial parameters and schedule demands established by the rural hospital’s business plan and funding capacity.

Construction began in April 2010 and was completed in spring 2012. The Neenan Company (Fort Collins, Colo.) provided construction and design services. In addition to Lean and Kaizen principles, the design team focused on staff co-location, departmental adjacencies, and access points to generate greater utilization, flexibility, and efficiencies. Additionally, successful integration enabled sharing of capital and personnel resources to ensure seamless patient care.

Sited on a 45-foot sloping hillside between the existing hospital and clinic, the new facility utilizes the challenging site topography to support medical services. Clinical services are distributed vertically, according to service importance and immediacy, as well as horizontally, following acuity needs. The distribution meets operational targets, compliance, accessibility, and privacy considerations. Additionally, patient wayfinding and flows are uncompromised.

The building solution also provides multiple access points, meaning patient, staff, and supply pathways do not intersect. Similarly, transport mode segregation is also enabled by the topography, resulting in ambulance, heliport, vehicular, and pedestrian paths that are discrete and effective.  

The project solution exceeds the national comparative metrics associated with critical access hospitals. The square footage allocations per provider, per encounter, improved while the associated cost measurements were reduced. The new facility design has also increased patient confidence and is a destination for healthcare services for total wellness.