Q & A

Q. I have a general idea that Valley needs more space to fulfill its mission. But how do you, as a nurse, explain it in real and specific terms?

A. The examples I have provided to people are rather compelling. For instance, let’s take the Phillips Building, which is the oldest on the campus. The average room in Phillips is a little over 200 square feet, but it houses two patients. Our new single patient rooms will be approximately 275 square feet but that space will be dedicated to just one patient!

Q. How does this impact methods of care and how does it affect patients?

A. The first thing that comes to mind is how disruptive it is for patients when one patient in a double-bedded room needs to undergo a test or procedure elsewhere in the hospital. This exercise often requires both beds to be moved out to the hallway, which not only creates a privacy issue, but also disrupts sleep and family visits, and otherwise creates a hardship for both patient and caregiver. In a single patient room, this would never occur. Another way to view it is through the eyes of a family during the recovery process: consider the activity level that occurs when two separate families come to visit two patients in one undersized room! Instead of this helping a patient heal, it can lead to loss of sleep and restlessness, which can hinder recovery.

Q. Isn’t that just something you have to deal with when you go to the hospital?

A. Perhaps it was in the past, but part of the evolution of healthcare is the change in methods of care. More focus is being placed on how we can shorten patient stays and speed recovery, and a big part of this is the recovery environment, i.e., the hospital room. As a nurse, I see and understand how an environment can accelerate a patient’s sense of well-being, which ultimately leads to shorter stays and more positive healthcare outcomes. Practically speaking, it is also beneficial for everyone to have more room, including dedicated caregiver areas and more room for family visits.

Q. Why else is expanded space important?

A. The job of a nurse has grown increasingly technical, and our use of new medical equipment and technology has expanded rapidly. The use of this equipment and technology takes up significant space. Two examples include a dialysis machine (shown top right) which assists Valley nurses to administer inpatient bedside dialysis treatments, and a bi-plane neurointerventional lab (shown bottom right), which allows Valley doctors to potentially reverse the debilitating effects of a stroke. The installation of the bi-plane will require Valley to sacrifice space currently used for two Operating Rooms.

Q. In a few sentences, can you sum up the need for Renewal?

A. The need for Renewal is driven by new ways of caring for our patients, new healthcare standards and technological advancements. Single patient rooms are now an industry standard. Existing building infrastructure can’t support technology. Square footage and ceiling heights can’t accommodate new technologies. Renewal is a plan to guide the hospital to the place it must be if it is to continue to offer the high quality care that our communities count on.

Q. How long will construction of the North Building take?

A. The construction of the North Building will take approximately 3.5 years, but construction visibly noticeable to residents will take only 18-20 months, with the rest of the construction occurring inside the enclosed new building.

The demolition of the Phillips Building and the construction of parking on that site would take 1.5 years.

After Phase One, we anticipate that we will take a break for approximately 10 years before beginning the construction of Phase Two.

Q. How will you remove the Phillips Building?

A. The Phillips Building will be taken down floor-by-floor. Much of the Phillips Building has been renovated so most of the building’s asbestos has been removed. The small amount of asbestos that does exist will be completely abated before the building is removed.

Q. What are the rules Valley must conform to during a construction project?

A. As with past projects, construction would be carefully scheduled, implemented and monitored in accordance with a Developer’s Agreement. A Developer’s Agreement is made between the Village of Ridgewood and the Hospital. The Hospital and the Hospital’s Construction Manager are responsible for ensuring the Agreement is carefully followed, and the Village of Ridgewood monitors the project to ensure the Agreement standards are consistently met.

By way of example, a list of issues covered in the Developer's Agreement for Valley’s last construction project included:

• Designated hours for construction
• Parameters for noise standards
• Staging of construction vehicles and deliveries
• Cleaning of wheels on trucks before they leave the site
• Shielding of all new and existing light fixtures to avoid glare on residential properties
• Regular, professional cleaning of streets surrounding the Hospital
• Securing of the construction area with attention to noise barriers
• Placing crossing guards at construction site entrance and at all Hospital driveways
• Air quality and noise evaluations: baseline levels will be determined before any activity begins and will then be evaluated twice a week. Each evaluation will be filed with the Village engineer
• Deliniation of a construction traffic plan that minimizes travel in residential areas
• Installation of vibration monitors at site boundaries to ensure safety and security of neighboring properties
• Screening of all existing and new dumpsters

Q. Has Valley chosen a Construction Manager?

A. Valley would once again work with Torcon, one of the largest Construction Managers in the country, on The Valley Renewal.

The vast majority of Torcon’s projects in its 42-year history have been in residential areas similar to Ridgewood, including Summit, Millburn, Red Bank and Princeton. These projects include hospitals, universities, and retail establishments.

Torcon has earned the highest possible recognition by the Voluntary Protection Plan, a federal program of rigorous construction safety and health requirements defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Torcon has also been recognized for its safety record every year during the past decade by the Associated General Contractors of America, the Building Contractors Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Safety Council.

Q. How will Renewal affect the quality of life for Ridgewood residents, including those who live close to the hospital?

A. From a healthcare perspective, Renewal will make a strong contribution to the quality of life of all those who live in Ridgewood. Today, Valley addresses the many healthcare needs of our community: emergency care, high-level cardiac and oncology care, minimally invasive surgery, joint replacement, obstetrics, neonatology, pediatrics …and the list goes on. The Valley Renewal will preserve and enhance these services, ensuring that Valley will be able to meet the healthcare needs of all those it serves for years to come. The Valley Renewal will also create a new, integrated hospital campus, one that is planned, constructed, and operated according to environmentally friendly or "green" principles. For example, through the development of our plans, we have paid significant attention to landscaping and greenery. It is our intention to improve the campus and positively impact quality of life for all those who come to Valley, as well as those who live in the neighborhood we share.

Q. Immediate neighbors have said that they are concerned about the impact of construction. What is the hospital’s response?

A. As with past projects, construction would be carefully scheduled, implemented, and monitored in accordance with a Developer’s Agreement established with the Village of Ridgewood. The Agreement covers a wide variety of issues, including designated hours for construction, standards for air quality and noise, and how construction vehicles and deliveries of supplies would be staged. As a healthcare institution, safety is of paramount concern. As in the past, we will take the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of our patients and their families, our neighbors and their children, the Valley family, and our entire community.

Q. What are some examples of construction practices that will help mitigate the concerns of the hospital’s neighbors?

A. During its 56-year history Valley has undertaken the construction of four buildings, the three that currently comprise the campus and the original hospital building, the Linwood Building, which was removed following the completion of the Cheel Building, our newest building. We have a strong track record for ensuring a safe and secure construction site for all of those projects, and we will employ the same tactics that we have in the past to monitor and control hours of operation, traffic, noise, air quality, dust and all other factors that may impact the neighborhood. One example of these tactics is to organize construction trucks elsewhere to ensure they enter our site without having to line up in the neighborhood. Another tactic we employ to ensure we do not impact neighborhood streets is to wash the wheels of the construction trucks before they leave our site. A third is to take benchmark measurements for air quality and noise and obtain continuous third-party readings to ensure that we do not exceed those benchmarks. Our intention will be to ensure the safety and security of all those who live in our neighborhood, or come to the hospital every day, as it has been with any construction project we have undertaken in the past.

Q. What is Valley asking the Planning Board to do?

A. Last year Village officials, in their review of the Master Plan, the basis for zoning in the Village, suggested that parameters of the Hospital Zone (“H” Zone) be reviewed. We agreed with that recommendation because the current “H” Zone is out-of-date. As we have presented to the Planning Board, Valley Hospital is subject to zoning parameters that are not applied to most hospitals in the state. We believe that the current “H” Zone no longer reflects the reality of modern healthcare facility needs, and unduly restricts Valley’s ability to modernize its facilities. Thus, we are attempting to create an updated modern zone, which will allow for the replacement over time of two of our oldest buildings.

Q. Can you describe the Village’s “H” zone and the type of modifications that Valley has requested?

A. All properties in a municipality are zoned for use through a Master Plan, which spells out specific codes for use of the property, including lot coverage, setbacks, fencing and signage, among other things. In Ridgewood’s Master Plan, The Valley Hospital’s property is zoned for hospital use only and is the only “H” zone in the Village. Our request for modernization of the zone includes altering some zone specifics such as lot coverage and building height. We are not requesting enlargement of the “H” zone.

Q. What is the process for establishing a modern “H” zone?

A. We are asking the Planning Board to recommend to the Village Council a modern “H” zone that would allow the hospital to renew its facilities so that Valley can continue to provide the very best healthcare. Valley introduced the plans for Renewal to the Village Council last September. We have presented the challenges of the current zone and the request for a modern “H” Zone to the Planning Board. We have been working with Village professionals to further discuss the development of a modern hospital zone. Through a public hearing process in the coming months, the community will have a chance to hear the results of those discussions.

Q. What is an example of a new element of the updated hospital zone?

A. One example is lot coverage for our facilities. To continue to be respectful of our residential neighborhood, Valley has no intention of constructing a building that is greater than 4-stories. To maintain that 4-story limit and meet the future healthcare needs of our community, we need greater lot coverage on our property.

Q. What exactly is the height of the proposed new North Building?

A. While the proposed new building is just four stories above grade, the same as the other buildings on the Valley campus, we are asking to add two feet per story to accommodate new technology and modern infrastructure. To summarize, the current buildings are 48 feet high; we are requesting approval for the North Building to be 56 feet high, or just 8 feet higher than the existing buildings. Some confusion has arisen around the rooftop mechanicals. All Valley buildings have mechanicals on the roof, which are set back from the perimeter. They are currently 17 feet high. In order to accommodate new healthcare requirements, the mechanicals for the North Building will need to be 24 feet high. They will be completely enclosed and, therefore, more visually attractive than the mechanicals on the roof of Phillips, our oldest building, which will be removed upon the completion of the North Building.

Q. Valley’s plans include additional parking. Why?

A. We would increase the availability of on-site parking by approximately 400 spaces to better accommodate the cars that are currently on-site and valet parked each day. We will continue to offer valet parking as a service to our patients and their families.

Q. How have the plans for Renewal been communicated?

A. Last September, a brochure and DVD were mailed to every household in Ridgewood and information was prominently posted on our website. We also advertised in nine weekly newspapers and received coverage in both The Record and The Ridgewood News. Lastly, we included an announcement in our community newsletter, Valley Reports, which is mailed to every household in Valley’s service area.

Q. Will Valley continue to communicate?

A. It is our intention to continue to communicate our plans for The Valley Renewal. We will be publishing and mailing newsletter updates as well as producing and running print advertisements. We also encourage all to visit our website, www.thevalleyrenewal.com, as we will be updating it with news and answers to questions that arise.

Q. Have you surveyed public sentiment in Ridgewood?

A. Yes. Shortly after we mailed our DVD and brochure to every household in Ridgewood last September, we surveyed a representative sample of Village residents. We were pleased to learn that a majority of residents believe that our plans for Renewal are both reasonable and will have a positive impact on Ridgewood. We also know that residents in 8 out of 10 households in the Village have used the hospital’s services over the past two years. Our supporters consistently tell us that they understand how important it is to have a high quality hospital close to home for their families when they need it. To remain the hospital that our community has come to rely on, Valley must be able to modernize over time.

Q. Is Valley a not-for-profit organization?

A. Yes. From its inception, The Valley Hospital was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and remains so to this day, like most hospitals across the country. Valley exists to serve the healthcare needs of the community. There are three important benefits to remember about our not-for-profit status. First, as a not-for-profit organization, any dollars that are generated are reinvested in technology, programs, services, and facilities to improve patient care. Second, the community has input into the future of healthcare in our area through the governance of a volunteer Board of Trustees that serves without compensation. Finally, because Valley is not-for-profit, patient care is enhanced through the philanthropy of grateful patients and families. As a not-for-profit, Valley provides many other benefits to the community through the provision of charity care, free health screenings, and a robust health education program, to name just a few. Valley also collaborates with Ridgewood High School in providing the Ridgewood Academy for Health Professions.

Q. What is an example of a new element of the updated hospital zone?

A. One example is lot coverage for our facilities. To continue to be respectful of our residential neighborhood, Valley has no intention of constructing a building that is greater than 4-stories. To maintain that 4-story limit, however, we need greater lot coverage on our lot.

Q. Valley's plans include additional parking. Why?

A. We would increase the availability of on-site parking by approximately 400 spaces to better accommodate the hundreds of cars that are currently valet parked each day.

Q. Why do you believe Renewal is essential?

A. I, Audrey Meyers, have worked at Valley and lived in Ridgewood for the past 27 years, or almost half of the hospital's existence. I believe that the hospital is at a pivotal point in its history. Based on vast advances in technology and new ways of caring for our patients, Valley must evolve over time. To continue to serve all those who have come to depend on Valley for their healthcare, Valley must renew. Just as our Village school buildings have had to be renewed to ensure they are providing the best for our children, the hospital, too, must renew, to ensure it can continue to provide the best healthcare for this generation and future generations to follow.

Q. What exactly is the height of the proposed new North Building?

A. While the proposed new building is just four stories above grade, the same as the other buildings on the Valley campus, we are asking to add two feet per story to accommodate new technology and modern infrastructure. To summarize, the current buildings are 48 feet high; we are requesting approval for the North Building to be 56 feet high, or just 8 feet higher than the existing buildings.

Some confusion has arisen around the rooftop mechanicals.  All Valley buildings have mechanicals on the roof, which are set back from the perimeter. They are currently 17 feet high.  In order to accommodate new healthcare requirements, the mechanicals for the North Building will need to be 24 feet high.  They will be completely enclosed, unlike the mechanicals on the roof of Phillips, our oldest building, which will be removed upon the completion of the North Building.

Q. What, exactly, does Renewal call for?

A. The eventual replacement of two of our three current hospital buildings with three new, better-integrated, modern facilities. Cheel – the hospital's newest building – would remain. But the Phillips and Bergen buildings would eventually be replaced.

Q. How would this occur?

A. In Phase One, a one-story, open parking deck over the current parking area adjacent to Linwood Avenue would be constructed. The next step would be to construct a new North Building adjacent to the Cheel Building. It would have four stories above ground and two below. The next step in Phase One would be to remove the Phillips Building and in its place add both above and below grade parking, with a two-story open parking deck above ground and a two-story structure below.

The Second Phase of Renewal would take place years later after the completion of Phase One. It would include the completion of a new West Building, adjacent to the North and Cheel Buildings. It would house inpatient beds and diagnostic and treatment facilities. The addition of the West Building would then allow us to remove the Bergen Building and follow with a new, smaller South Building, which would house inpatient beds.

Q. Why does the hospital need to replace two of its buildings?

A. Just like our schools and other important public buildings that were constructed years ago, several of Valley Hospital's physical buildings are in the latter stages of their life span and will require replacement. We are faced with new healthcare facility standards, ever-increasing technological innovation, and new ways of delivering care. To ensure our tradition of meeting the needs of the community and the people we serve, Valley must renew.

Q. What are specific examples of the impact of new standards?

A. Technological advancements, new ways of delivering care, and new healthcare facility standards all contribute to the need for improved physical space. For example, standards require that all newly-constructed patient rooms be single patient rooms, with accompanying space to heighten patient safety, privacy and comfort. Over time, standards for operating room space have also increased significantly, and improved space for the integration of technology is required. Valley also copes with undersized support space, which has been established in every available corner of the building.

Q. Would the hospital operate during this time?

A. Yes. There will be no interruption in healthcare services during any part of Renewal.

Q. How will Renewal affect parking?

A. Off-site parking will replace employee parking lost to construction. This method of parking will eventually become part of the permanent parking solution, as it is with many other hospitals.

Q. What does the hospital need to begin?

A. Current Ridgewood Village zoning does not permit this renewal without seeking approval from the Board of Adjustment. This approach, which has been used by the hospital in the past, is being set aside in favor of developing a broader, more appropriate solution: recognition of a modern hospital zone by the Planning Board. The Village is currently undergoing a master plan review, including evaluating development standards for the hospital zone. We believe the time is right to establish the modern zone. If we can establish the modern zone, Renewal can begin.

Q. When does this take place?

A. The hospital has announced its plan and is now working through the formal review process with the Village of Ridgewood to establish a modern hospital zone. This is a process that we hope will conclude within a matter of months. Subsequent to that, the design of the first phase will be completed, and following state and local approvals, construction of the first phase will take approximately three years.

Q. How will this be funded?

A. This first phase of the initiative will be funded through long-term tax-exempt bonds, community philanthropy, and an equity contribution from the hospital.