Healthcare Design - December 2019 - 61

HEA

REMODEL/
RENOVATION

BRONZE

Thundermist Health
Center of Woonsocket

CARE D

B UDG ET-FR IE NDLY- BRONZ E W I NNE R

REMODEL/RENOVATION COMPETITION

2019

Woonsocket, R.I.
BEFORE

S UBMITTED BY: V I S I O N 3 A R C H I T E C T S * P R O V I D E N C E , R . I .

BEFORE

D ESIG N TEAM:

Thundermist Health
Center (client); Vision
3 Architects (architect
and interior designer);
Creative Environment
Corporation (MEP and
fire protection engineer);
Bowerman Associates
(construction manager)
CO ST PER
SQ UAR E FO OT:

$103
PHO T O S (AF T E R ):

Aaron Usher III
Photography
F IR M CO NTACT:

(401) 461-7771
www.vision3architects.com

THUNDERMIST HEALTH CENTER is a Federally Qualified Community Health
Center, serving three communities in the state of
Rhode Island: Woonsocket, West Warwick, and
South County. Their mission is to improve the
health of their patients and communities by delivering exceptional healthcare, removing barriers to that care, and advancing healthy lifestyles.
In the past decade, the patient count for
Thundermist's Woonsocket Health Center
increased 30 percent. In order to meet those
growing demands, Thundermist completed a
two-phased, 47,600-square-foot renovation
project. The project objectives included increasing the quantity of patient care spaces and
improving staff work flows and overall patient
experience, while maintaining a cost-effective
design. To achieve this goal, extensive renovations were completed to the first floor, which
converted former office space into 38 new
exam rooms along with staff support spaces
for Family Medicine; Specialty Services; and
Women, Infant & Children Services Depart-

J U RY C O M M E N T S :
* Improved patient
access via increased
capacity. Nice updates
to support space
(welcome desk, multiple
rather than single
registration desks).
Focus on limiting
provider travel via
centralized team pods.
* Inventive, thoughtful,
and judicious use
of resources. The
designers brought joy
to this project.
* Increase in light levels,
colorful suspended
acoustic circles, and
dropped wood ceilings
add visual interest and
variety and make the
space feel much more
contemporary and light
filled.

ments. The first floor
also contains a Phlebotomy Lab, a Pharmacy, and the main
reception and waiting areas. The second floor
renovations supported the goals of improving
staff work flows and patient experience. This
was achieved by relocating team areas directly
adjacent to their dedicated exam rooms and
reconfiguring the reception space and adding
dedicated waiting areas for each department.
The second floor includes 50 exam rooms
for Pediatrics, Adult Medicine, and Women's
Health departments as well as waiting and reception spaces. The project doubled patient
care space, increased capacity, and implemented modern design features.
In the two years prior to the renovation project, the architect worked with Thundermist
and students from the Roger Williams University, Master of Architecture Program to
conduct post-occupancy studies on all three of
Thundermist's Health Centers. As part of the
post-occupancy studies, patients and staff were
interviewed on the design of the various areas
throughout the facilities. The results of those
studies greatly influenced the design of the
Woonsocket renovation project.
The most challenging aspect of the project
was maintaining operations throughout construction without heavily impacting the overall
cost. Thundermist is open seven days a week,
365 days a year, with extended hours, and the
building needed to remain occupied during
construction. To minimize the impact of construction, the contractor worked closely with
staff to carefully phase construction.
"Today, we celebrate a transformation. Thundermist is meeting the needs of the community
through expanded access to quality primary and
behavioral health care. We're providing a circle
of care that gives patients access to the services
they need to improve their health and well-being," said Jeanne LaChance, President and CEO
of Thundermist Health Center at the ribbon cutting ceremony on September 28, 2018.

DECEMBER 2019

http://www.vision3architects.com

Healthcare Design - December 2019

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