Kellogg Expansion: One Year and Counting
More space, new services, and high-end communications will improve the patient experience
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It has been years in the planning and several more in the construction phase.
The expanded Kellogg Eye Center, designed to serve many more patients in comfortable and spacious surroundings, will open its doors in less than a year.
The new building will house all seven eye clinics, each with additional examination rooms. “The space will allow physicians to provide more services, transforming Kellogg in ways that we couldn’t imagine just a few years ago,” says Michael Smith-Wheelock, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology. “Recent advances have yielded therapies for conditions that were not treatable in the past,” he says. “Our expansion will allow us to make these new treatments a reality for our patients. I am proud to be part of an eye center that provides this level of service.”
Six new operating suites will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including high-powered surgical microscopes that will benefit surgeons and patients alike. To enhance teaching, there will be capabilities to broadcast surgeries to the auditorium, a nearby observation room, and a resident conference room. The video system will allow trainees to view the gamut of surgical procedures that are undertaken at a tertiary care center.
For Carol George, R.N., coordinator of the Kellogg ORs, a new communications system will improve surgical scheduling and patient flow. “As we planned for the new operating suites,” says Ms. George, “we focused on improvements that would contribute to our ultimate goal—exceeding even the gold standard for patient care and safety.”
All clinics will have more space designed for patient comfort. And some, like the Low Vision Clinic, will be able to expand assistance provided to patients. Dr. Donna Wicker, a low vision specialist, notes that the clinic will have space to display magnifiers and other devices that enable her patients to carry on with daily activities and hobbies. “Having a demonstration area right in the clinic will be a real convenience for our patients and will signal to others that we provide low vision services,” she says.
The clinic will also have a small kitchen where occupational therapist Karen Murphy can show patients how to carry out household tasks despite diminished vision.
Facilities manager Patricia Tongusi has been involved in the building project from the start. From day one, she reports, the clinics have been designed for patient convenience. “With more exam rooms and better clinic design, our patients will move more easily through their appointments.” Speaking for just about everyone in the Department, Ms. Tongusi says,“I can’t wait.”
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