St. Francis Medical Center undertook an expansion of its emergency department (ED), a Level III trauma center, in response to unprecedented growth in Colorado Springs, Colo. Since 2008, the ED has experienced a 50 percent increase in patient volume and now serves 47,000 patients per year.

The ED relocation and expansion was part of a 168,580-square-foot, $70 million multiphase expansion that also included new operating rooms, a renovated and expanded Level III NICU, and shell space for future growth.

The state-of-the-art ED moved to a split-flow model of care with the goals of improved staff efficiency and patient satisfaction and reduced patient wait times. This was achieved through early triage, more accurate patient room assignments, clarified wayfinding, and improved organization of staff stations and resource layout.

Project Details:

Facility name: St. Francis Medical Center

Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.

Completion date: February 2019

Owner: Penrose-St. Francis Health Services and Centura Health

Total project area: 168,580 sq. ft. (entire expansion including renovations, parking garage, ED, new Level III NICU, additional operating rooms, and FF&E)

Total construction cost: $70 million (for entire expansion)

Cost/sq. ft.: $415 (for entire expansion)

Architecture firm: RTA Architects

Interior design: RTA Architects

General contractor: GE Johnson Construction Company

Engineering: MGA Structural Engineers (structural), The RMH Group (MEP), Kiowa Engineering (Civil)

Landscape Architecture: Ground Logic

Soils and Testing: Kumar & Assoc.

Emergency Department and NICU Consultants: Zilm & Associates and X32 Healthcare