Our Design-Development meeting with Lavalle-Brensinger went pretty much as planned, with presentations for the lobby and admitting areas being well-received in general. We have had a some new questions arise over the layout for the Emergency Department, however, in regards to secure holding rooms for patients who might be a danger to themselves or others.

The new considerations arose following a recent visit we made to Monadnock Community Hospital over in Peterborough, New Hampshire. We saw how they utilized an overhead door, much like one you’d find a garage, to protect vital equipment, thus turning a regular exam room into a safe room. The photo accompanying this post is from one of these “hybrid” spaces at Mondanock.

Prior to this, we had been planning for two secure holding rooms in the new Emergency Department. But feedback from the staff at Monadnock was that one true security room was adequate, and the implementation of this sliding door provided more flexibility in having a second secure space when that was necessary, while also providing more space for seeing other types of patients. We’ll see what the designers come up with.

A quick update on the MRI move, too. After reviewing the upgrades that we want to make to the existing MRI magnet, the timeline for completion of that part of the project is looking like mid-November, instead of the previously hoped for target of early Autumn.

- Rob