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The questions and answers below were recently mailed to the Ridgewood community. For background on The Valley Renewal, please click here.

Below, Linda C. Lewis, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, answers, from a caregiver’s perspective, some of the more frequently asked questions to help you understand the need for Renewal.

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?

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!

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

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.

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

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.

Why else is expanded space important?

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.

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

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.