Kent Hospital today held a ceremonial ground breaking for its new 60,000 square foot, Ambulatory Surgery and Medical Office Building. Kent president and CEO Sandra Coletta was joined by local and state officials for the event that will mark a construction project estimated to last just under two years.
“This is an exciting day for Kent Hospital and our community,” said Coletta. “Today we begin a project that will greatly enhance the care and services offered here. This project is vital to the long-term economic well being of Kent Hospital, our community and the state. It will enable the hospital to provide high quality patient-focused services in a state-of-the-art facility and to compete effectively with free-standing ambulatory surgery centers and other facilities.”
“I am a firm believer in the importance of community-based health care,” Governor Lincoln Chafee said. “The addition of this new building will improve and expand access to ambulatory surgery and other vital services. I am proud to be here to honor the quality of care provided at Kent Hospital and I look forward to watching the construction progress.”
“I congratulate Kent Hospital as they begin work on the latest facility improvements,” said Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian. “The surgical suite, including the new short stay unit, reflects Kent’s ongoing commitment to providing the best medical care to their patients. The new office suite affords more physicians the ability to be on the hospital campus, making it more convenient for their patients and ensuring doctors’ accessibility in times of crisis.”
The Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) will be attached to the hospital in the northeast corner. It will include five operating rooms at 600 square feet each and three additional operating rooms at 400 square feet respectively. The ASC will also include space for perioperative bays, clinical support services, administration, reception/waiting area and storage. The ASC will handle the majority of outpatient surgeries as well as endoscopic and pain management procedures currently performed in the main hospital.
The ASC will occupy 30,000 square feet on the second floor of the medical office building (MOB). The construction project for the MOB is estimated to take one year. The project will also include 30,000 square feet of medical office space on the first floor, a new lobby connecting the MOB to the hospital and a separate patient access corridor linking the ASC to a new ten bed short stay unit (SSU).
The addition of the new lobby area and connecting corridor will begin once the MOB is complete and should take approximately five months to finish. The new ten bed short stay unit will occupy the space vacated by the hospital's outpatient surgery department once the MOB and ASC are completed and operational. The timeline to complete the SSU is about seven months following the move to the new ASC.
The building will meet the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for the Silver Level. LEED is a certification process of the Green Building Council to improve the efficiencies of new buildings by design both during construction and the ongoing operational environmental impact. Points are awarded for green practices to design to, and in combination with, other equipment. During construction waste materials will be recycled. When possible, recycled new materials will be selected and will come from geographically nearby suppliers. Low emitting materials will also be selected where applicable.
To reduce energy usage, the roof will be all white to reflect heat. Low-use water equipment and changes in landscaping will reduce the demand for water. Lighting, both interior and exterior, will use less electricity. Highly efficient air handling equipment will be installed for cooling and heating, with computerized controls. Even future parking guidelines are planned, including favorable parking for hybrid vehicles, bicycles and car pool vehicles.
Kent is partnering with investor Seavest, who will build the medical office building. The cost for that portion of the project is expected to be $14.5 million. Kent Hospital is also partnering with developer Trammell Crow Company, architect Steffian Bradley and Dimeo Construction. The project, including the ambulatory surgery center, short stay unit and the new lobby, will cost $15 million.
Visitor parking is not expected to be affected. However, some traffic flow changes will be implemented throughout the duration of the project and will be clearly posted.
Kent Hospital, a Care New England Hospital, is a 359-bed, acute care hospital. It is Rhode Island’s second largest hospital, serving approximately 300,000 residents of central Rhode Island.
A teaching affiliate of The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kent offers programs in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and an Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship. Kent’s redesigned Emergency Department (ED) sees approximately 70,000 patients a year and ranks Kent’s ED volume among the top 10-percent nationally. It was the first hospital in the state to eliminate the practice of ambulance diversion.