Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on St. Joseph’s South:
South Shore News
Residents invited to preview St. Joseph’s Hospital-South before it opens
BY DOUG ARNOLD
Special Correspondent
Published: January 13, 2015
RIVERVIEW – In February, the blending of science, substance and style come together with the much anticipated opening of St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview. And the community can take a sneak peek from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at a special preview event, including public tours, entertainment, food and festivities.
The 360,000-square-foot facility sits on a 72-acre campus at Big Bend and Simmons Loop roads. Visionaries with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny purchased much of the property in the early 1980s, anticipating future population growth and community need.
The new hospital, part of BayCare Health System, will employ 500 and offer about 20 different medical services, including emergency, maternity and orthopedics. It has 90 private patient suites, 22 observation rooms, labor and delivery rooms, a cardiac catheterization lab, surgical suites and more.
“Insightful design is what creates the near-perfect healing environment,” said Scott Smith, president and CEO. “We’ve taken the best lessons from previous hospital design, specifically St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, to bring together the best ideas and innovations for both patient experience and physician efficiency.”
Smith said the interior is a soothing environment that minimizes stress and anxiety.
“St. Joseph’s is sensitive to the physical and spiritual needs of those we serve,” he said. “We are dedicated to healing the body, along with nourishing the mind and soul.”
The atrium lobby, with its overlook balcony and massive circular reception center, is reminiscent of a boutique hotel. Sunlight cascades through towering windows and turns the lobby into a warm and welcoming place. “There is ample room for visitors, patients, and staff to relax, converse, reflect,” Smith said.
Patient rooms are one-bed private suites, most with a recliner and small sofa. Above the bed is a stylish “head wall” that’s clear of the gauges, tubing ports, lines and plugs found in most hospital rooms. These items are now hidden behind the head-wall facade.
“It feels much friendlier, more like nice hotel room,” Smith said.
Rooms and corridors also bring in lots of sunlight. From the inside, there are views of outdoor greenery and sky. Standing outside, the window pattern is a Mondrian-style grid mosaic of glass in various shades and hues of blues.
The ambience is made by the little details, Smith said.
“We considered the lighting to help with mood and special carpeting to reduce noise levels.”
The floor layout of the patient rooms is in racetrack formation.
“On the outer track you find hallways of rooms, but on the infield, between the hallways, are the work areas, the supply rooms, technical equipment and other medical-related spaces,” Smith said.
Working staff, transport wheelchairs, and other rolling technology have their own corridors and elevators. This establishes a backstage work flow that helps insulate the visitor and patients from busy, disruptive traffic.
Dr. Hossain Marandi, vice president of physician services, said the community was asked about what it wanted in a hospital and that the local medical community provided significant input on how the hospital would be tailored for the needs of southern Hillsborough County.
“We worked very hard to make this an inclusive project,” Marandi said. “For several years we conducted dialogues, listening closely to the doctors who serve the immediate area. This gives the community a sense of ownership, of partnership that has great value when creating an environment of healing.”
The hospital’s new medical equipment is a catalog of the latest in medical innovation. The hospital boasts 21st century surgical suites, specialized women’s health services facilities, high technology imaging and da Vinci surgical robotics. The emergency room has 34 private examination and treatment rooms. Patients enter a digital palm print when registering to provide quick and accurate identification throughout their stay.
The latest technology goes beyond surgery and imaging. Innovative materials are in place to minimize infection and contamination, including dedicated elevators for handling bed linens and special germ-fighting corridor carpeting.
Population growth means babies, and St. Joseph’s Hospital-South has an array of delivery rooms and suites for new parents and infants. Rooms have plenty of space for guests and indirect lighting.
“Once a young mom sees our rooms, she won’t want to go anywhere else,” Smith said.
The new hospital is built to accommodate South Shore’s continuing growth.
“Our architecture was engineered for expansion as the (area’s) population and health care needs grow,” Smith said. “The main building can expand vertically by two stories, and horizontal growth can include an entire additional building wing. There is ample room for additional freestanding buildings.”
County Commissioner Sandy Murman, District 1, looks forward to the opening.
“Hillsborough County was glad to help St. Joseph’s Hospital-South come to (South Shore),” she said. “We worked with (its) team along the way to make sure the permitting and planning process went smoothly.”
Murman said the county improvements associated with the project included $2.6 million to install a traffic light on Big Bend Road.
Businesses in the region have been hungry for the hospital to open.
Tanya Doran, executive director of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, said the hospital is already making a difference in the business community.
“It is an exciting time’” she said. “It will also bring additional stimulus to local restaurants and retail.”
Murman echoed the observation.
“Five-hundred new permanent jobs for local residents goes a long way to improve the quality of life (here),” she said.
Meanwhile, Smith is overseeing the big move in of people and material.
“We’re bringing in staff and supplies, as we speak,” he said. “Final certifications will be completed in late January and we will announce our official opening in very early February.”
St. Joseph’s Hospital-South is at 6301 Simmons Loop Road. For information or to arrange an extended tour on Saturday, call (813) 443-3010.
Freelance writer Doug Smith can be reached at bylinedouglasarnold@aol.com.
