The $4.3 Million Renovation Result of Input from Patients, Staff, Providers
ThedaCare is pleased to announce the opening of a newly redesigned, renovated ThedaCare Behavioral Health inpatient unit at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. The $4.3 million renovation of treatment space is the result of a 14-month construction process that began with a meticulous process that involved patients, providers, and staff.
Jake Lepke, the project lead for ThedaCare Behavioral Health, said the changes were made to improve safety as well as the overall patient experience, and to increase staff and provider productivity. “The bed count remains the same at 19, but we’ve tripled the number of private rooms to nine. We’ve almost doubled the amount of day space, too, so patients now have a choice of the setting in which they want to relax, visit, or receive therapy.”
Included in the project was an upgrade of the patient showering and restroom facilities and the renovation and expansion of a multipurpose room. The nurses’ station was renovated and repositioned to provide line-of-site visibility to the entire day space. The admission room is significantly larger and more pleasant, with views of the landscape. To prevent contraband from entering the unit, a new, more secure changing room provides a supervised entry port for patients.
Bonnie Raasch, Neenah, is a former ThedaCare Behavioral Health patient who participated in the input sessions 2012 and has consulted as part of the redesign team through the entire process. Upon touring the nearly complete project, she described the renovated unit as calm, noting the beauty of the new artwork and murals. “There is a lot more breathing room and elbow room … it’s very relaxing and you don’t feel like you are closed in,” she said. “It was awesome to work with them and an honor to be asked.”
Statistics have already begun to show marked improvement in patient and staff safety, patient satisfaction, and staff productivity. According to Lepke, the development of a secure entry point to the department has been key in meeting these safety achievements. Additionally, the flow of the staff on the unit has resulted in much higher staff/patient ratios, which helps meet all of ThedaCare’s goals – safety, quality, and satisfaction. “We are achieving our goal of improving patient care,” he said. “The new inpatient environment helps us work better as a team, and the beneficiaries are our patients, who have the treatment, privacy and safety they need and deserve.”
ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of five hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, New London Family Medical Center, Shawano Medical Center, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare at Home. ThedaCare isone of the largest employers in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,175 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
