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St. Joseph's Hospital opens new surgical tower

The new Christina Nappi Surgical Tower at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse features 110 private rooms for patients recovering from surgery. This concept of private room care is an innovative healthcare approach that experts say is the wave of the future.

The halls and rooms don’t look like a typical post-surgical room. They’re large, and able to accommodate all the latest medical technology. There are mechanical lifts at each bed, a special area for family and cabinets that provide all the essentials for a patient recovering from surgery.
 

Credit St. Joseph's Hospital
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St. Joseph's Hospital
An external shot of the surgical tower.

Nursing Officer Anne Marie Walker Czyz says research shows this kind of model creates a more healing environment. Among other things, it can cut down on post-operative complications like infections.

“There’s just less interaction with different types of people or patients," Czyz said. "So being able to have that primarily patient privacy, it does really prevent transmission of infections, along with other interventions, hand hygiene and other caregiver tasks that we have to have. And the equipment is independent and specific to each patient. We’re not taking equipment in and out of rooms.”

Czyz says this means there are more private rooms throughout the rest of the hospital as well. With rooms dedicated to one patient, Czyz says there are fewer chances for errors and cuts down on infections and patient falls.

“Private room experience has demonstrated to be able to prevent hospital acquired conditions. Be able to keep patients in the same room throughout their continuum of care, as they need different levels of care, they’re able to primarily stay in the stay room. It’s large enough where our technology, or the majority of our technology, can remain at the bedside.”

Czyz also says the more spacious rooms are geared at patients recovering from more complicated surgery, and the tower itself includes a 4,000 square foot surgical waiting room.

“Our critical care units, and our intensive care units are going to be in this tower, as well as step-down units from critical care," Czyz explained. "So our cardiac surgery patients, our vascular patients is really more complex and they’re a little bit longer length of stay, so they’ll be primarily the surgical patients that are in here.”

She believes the private room concept ultimately means health care professionals will spend more time with patients. The $63 million project is the latest in a series of expansion at the Northside Syracuse hospital.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.