Two new nursing units and the Lumpkin Education Center are opening for use in the coming weeks following 18 months of construction at Sarah Bush Lincoln.
The expansion added five beds to the new Intensive Care Unit (formerly called Critical Care Unit) creating a 14-bed unit with private, larger rooms to accommodate equipment, care givers and families. It will open Tuesday, Nov. 14. Adjacent to this is a new nursing unit, Progressive Care Unit, with 15 private, large rooms. It will open Wednesday, Nov. 8.
SBL Assistant VP Patient Care Continuum Colleen Swick said, “We have eagerly awaited the completion of construction so these rooms could be put in service. They are large and the unit is beautifully designed to better accommodate our patients and their needs. We believe our patients and their families will be pleased with these new spaces.”
Each of the rooms have private restroom facilities and the ICU rooms feature break-away glass doors for ease of moving patients and equipment through the doorways. Built into the unit are four negative pressure rooms that will be used to care for people with airborne illnesses.
Swick added, This new space will help us accommodate our growing patient census. Since our early days during COVID-19, we have experienced a higher number of patients seeking inpatient care at Sarah Bush Lincoln. We need these extra beds and are looking forward to moving into these spaces.”
A new Respiratory Therapy area is adjacent to ICU/PCU. A part of the move includes touching up rooms vacated on 2 South and 2 East where ICU/PCU were placed throughout construction, and closing 1 North once all the work is complete.
Also opening in the expansion is a new Lumpkin Education Center featuring seven meeting rooms and the Nightingale Training Center for the clinical staff. The training center features simulation rooms for staff to practice procedures, a heart code room, computer training labs and the Health Occupations classroom. All the rooms are named for pioneers in medicine. An added bonus is the Commons, a space where employees and visitors can relax, enjoy lunch and visit. The Lumpkin Education Center will open in late November.
“The Nightingale Training Center truly has the most contemporary technology available and will help us attract the brightest clinical talent in the area. To have a facility of this caliber is really special. Our staff is excited to put this space into use,” Swick said.
The $30 million project included 21,500 square feet of renovated space and 37,389 square feet of new construction. Phase 2 of the project is underway, which converts the former Lumpkin Education Center into storage space for Material Management.
For more information, contact Colleen Swick, 217 258-2540.
