May 20, 2002

Building For A Healthier Community

Genesis Medical Center Unveils Its New Medical Intensive Care Unit And Surgical Suites

One of the largest medical expansions in Quad City history has reached another milestone. The new Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and surgical suites at Genesis Medical Center's East campus open this week.

Contractors are putting the finishing touches on the MICU. The new 20-bed unit is now located on the 3rd floor. It replaces the 13-bed unit on the 2nd floor, which will be reconstructed into four new catheterization suites and one new electrophysiology lab. Construction on this phase of the East Addition project is expected to get underway in mid-May.

Added features in the new MICU include nursing sub-stations, patient nourishment stations and new medications rooms. The sub-stations are centered between every two rooms and allow the nurse to spend most of his or her time at the patient's bedside. The two unique-looking 'pillars' in the center of the unit are actually patient nourishment stations. The stations are covered in beautiful curved maple with the soft lighting at the top, which add additional warmth to the appearance of the new unit. This area also includes two large medication rooms, four utility rooms and two equipment storage areas. New Hill-Rom Total Care Critical Care Beds, HP/Philips Merlin Bedside Monitors with Viridia Central Stations and Point of Care Documentation are among the new technological upgrades in this unit. Patients were moved in on Thursday, May 16.

Each of the two new surgical suites on the 2nd floor has the capability of accommodating complex open or endoscopic procedures in every discipline. The rooms are CAD-designed with advances including flat screen monitors, cooler, more brilliant surgical lights, Hermes voice activation and a remote video documentation center. Precise positioning of surgical equipment is accomplished with teletom power booms. Both rooms are technically equipped to perform robotic procedures in the future.

Completion of these units is part of a $38 million dollar expansion, renovation and technology upgrade to the East campus. The new three-story addition includes a new main entrance and lobby off of College Street, which has changed the front faade of the hospital to match the glassy front of the Genesis Heart Institute. Finishing touches are underway. The new entrance is expected to open up to the public in July.

Other hallmarks of this project are new administrative offices, the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) completed in July of 2001 and the newly renovated BirthCenter, which will be open in mid-June.