Florida Hospital Waterman, located in Tavares, Fla., recently announced its groundbreaking for an expansion and renovation of its emergency department and patient tower. The project includes a four-story addition to the existing hospital to expand the emergency department, relocate the OB and pediatric program, and shell two additional floors for future medical and surgical units. The expansion will house three new trauma rooms. The project also includes a major renovation of the existing emergency department and the addition of a stair tower open to daylight.

With this project Florida Hospital Waterman and Adventist Health System plan to increase integration within the network of care. The emergency department design creates efficient expansion and contraction scenarios, and improves connectivity physically and electronically. Part of the project includes a corridor joining the main hospital entrance and ED entrance, which should also ease wayfinding for patients. The design also promotes clinical collaboration staging physician work areas in a centralized location.

The new ED further supports patient experience by optimizing patient flow while maintaining separation to allow staff to triage patients more effectively. The expansion allows for a dedicated area of the ED to serve the pediatric population. A clear boundary between pediatrics and OB units supports infection control while a new C-section room in suite means minimal travel distances and rapid activation.

Both the ED and bed tower are designed to maximize access to lake views and daylight to enhance the patient experience.

Gresham, Smith and Partners is providing architectural and engineering services.