UT Southwestern Opens New Hospital in Dallas
DALLAS — UT Southwestern unveiled its new $800 million hospital at a dedication ceremony on Oct. 30.
The William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital replaces the 50-year-old St. Paul University Hospital. The 12-floor, 460-bed facility is a patient-centered hospital that will serve the people of Dallas and north Texas. It will officially open to patients and the public on Dec. 6.
“The William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital represents an enormously important step for the medical center,” said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., president of UT Southwestern, in a statement. “The hospital is a vehicle for our physicians, nurses and staff to provide the best possible care and experience for patients by bringing together our three-part mission: excellence in patient care, the education and training of current and future caregivers, and research that improves the care and health of people everywhere.”
The hospital is named for former Texas Gov. William P. Clements Jr., who made an unprecedented $100 million donation in 2009 to benefit UT Southwestern.
Every aspect of the 1.3 million-square-foot hospital was designed by Baltimore-based RTKL with the patient in mind. The design makes it possible to have patient floors that offer a quieter and cleaner environment since it puts many routine functions involving supplies, meals and medications to be located in more private locations. The hospital’s layout helps deliveries of most supplies to bypass patient hallways, reducing noise and foot traffic while also reducing the risk of infections.
To promote healing, each patient has an individual room with large windows that allow in natural light. Patients will be able to control the lighting, temperature and window shades from a remote at their bedside. The hospital is also making Wi-Fi available in each room.
The hospital is designed in the shape of a “W” to allow for shorter hallways that reduce the distance that caregivers must walk to perform tasks, as well as to protect patient privacy. The facility is emphasizing the nurse-patient relationship by locating nurse alcoves immediately outside of patient rooms. Windows with shades that can be opened and closed from the alcoves enable nurses to check on patients without disturbing them.
The hospital also features videoconferencing in all patient rooms. The technology connects caregivers with their patients as well as other members of the patient’s care team. Flat-screen monitors used for videoconferencing will also be equipped with cameras so that patients can stay connected with family and friends.
The hospital’s design and construction has a focus on safety and efficiency. Indianapolis-based Hunt Construction Group installed a sophisticated air filtration system throughout all areas of the hospital instead of only in areas where patients have compromised immune systems. A chute system will also reduce infection risk by taking trash and linen items away from patient floors.
The hospital is also dedicating more than 35,000 square feet of space to research and learning. Every patient care floor will have space to support clinical research. The hospital is providing a 10,000-square-foot education and conference center that offers facilities for conferences, symposiums and demonstrations.
“Supporters believed in the vision for this new hospital, and they invested in it,” UT Chancellor Dr. Francisco Gonzalez Cigarroa said in a statement. “As a result, a magnificent new facility joins UT System’s health institutions, serving not only patients, but developing the best and brightest medical students, residents and fellows, who will become the caregivers of the future.”