Healthcare Design - September 2020 - 16

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SEPTEMBER 2020

ABOVE: A two-story

canopy provides a sense
of arrival at the new
facility, while floor-toceiling windows bring the
outdoors in. RIGHT: After
checking in, patients are
immediately directed
to an exam room. If
the room isn't ready or
family members require
accommodation, seating
niches are integrated into
the corridor outside the
dual-access exam rooms.

mitment to overall wellness, the lobby's large, open staircase promotes
physical activity, while expanses of windows, including in the lobby and
fitness center, help bring the outdoors in.
While the project will serve as the prototype for future HealthHub
campuses in the Tampa Bay region, the model is already helping BayCare
adapt to changing care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the facility's "no waiting room" concept has inherently supported
social distancing, with patients encouraged to register in advance from
home and then go directly to their exam room when they arrive at the
building. Even if patients don't register ahead of time, the centralized registration stations located in the lobby still enable distancing. The building's four entrances also allowed staff to close two access points and direct
visitors from the two remaining entrances to the main lobby for temperature screening. Additionally, the facility implemented technology to alert
medical assistants as to which exam rooms have been sanitized and which
rooms still need cleaning. The combination of the building's physical design, new technologies, and attention to customer service has helped the
HealthHub rapidly respond to this new normal, further safeguarding the
health and well-being of visitors.-By Christina Wilson, project executive,
Gresham Smith (Tampa)

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

SANDY DEWITT

N RESPONSE to the ever-evolving
healthcare landscape, BayCare
Health System envisioned a new
model of care delivery-one where
convenient access to both medical
and wellness services can address
health issues before acute care
services are required. In spring
2019, the new 108,000-square-foot BayCare
HealthHub Bloomingdale opened in Valrico,
Fla., offering a destination where community
members can see a doctor, exercise, shop, and
enjoy a healthy meal in one spot.
The two-story facility, designed by Gresham
Smith (Tampa, Fla.), integrates traditional
healthcare services such as primary care, pediatrics, adult rehabilitation, mental health,
urgent care, imaging, and laboratories with
wellness activities including fitness classes,
nutrition education, and complementary retailers to promote healthy living. The 21-acre
campus also includes a half-mile walking trail
and a serenity garden and hosts a monthly
farmer's market.
During initial planning sessions, the project
team imagined a doctor's office without waiting rooms, which are often immediate bottlenecks in traditional medical settings. To give
patients a streamlined experience from the
moment they walk through the front door, the
design features an expansive, open lobby with
several central registration stations to serve as
the sole check-in points for all health and wellness services in the building. After checking in,
visitors are escorted directly to an exam room
by a BayCare team member, decreasing doorto-doctor time. The integrated model of care
also means that patients can see their doctor
for a check-up, then visit the gym for their daily
workout, and enjoy a nutritious lunch from
one of the on-site retailers.
To enable patients to take control of their
health at home, what's dubbed the BayCare
TechDeck located in the first-floor lobby provides access to remote monitoring and wearable
technology services. Here, health technology
coaches are specifically trained to provide support on using a variety of wellness devices and
applications that help patients track activity
and steps, body fat percentage, heart rate, sleep
habits, weight and body mass index, and more.
The modern aesthetic at BayCare's other campuses inspired the new facility's architecture,
including a blue metal planar wall that extends
through the façade and runs vertically through
the entire building. Supporting BayCare's com-
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Healthcare Design - September 2020

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