Preparing for Patients in the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building

In September 2021, GBMC broke ground on The Promise Project, which will bring two historic advancements to GBMC—the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building, a new main entrance and inpatient facility, and the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, the new home of the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at GBMC. These initiatives will not only modernize GBMC’s facilities but extend our promise for generations to come. Thoughtful planning has been at the core of the project since its inception, with teams carefully considering how to design the new facilities to best meet the needs of patients, their loved ones, and staff.

Now, as construction on the first component—the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building—nears completion, operational readiness teams, led by Rebecca Stover, MSN, RN, PMP, Director of Project Management at GBMC HealthCare, are focusing on the essential details to ensure smooth transitions for patients and staff. These teams are hard at work, performing studies to address the day-to-day needs and processes necessary to run the building’s two 30-bed medicine/telemetry units. The studies are helping them identify staffing needs, understand room-cleaning turnover times, order the proper quantities of supplies, and develop workflows for departments such as transport and critical care. They are determining the most efficient and safest routes to-and-from the units in the event of rapid response emergencies and more.

In addition to finalizing the overarching day-to-day needs and processes, meticulous pre-planning is under way for the relocation of patients from the old units to the new units on November 14. The end goal is to do so with minimal disruption to patients and staff.

Leading these intricate move-in plans is Cate O’Connor-Devlin, MSN, RN, Director of Emergency Preparedness, Safety, and Security, who is collaborating with a cross-functional team of unit coordinators, nurses, transporters, greeters, and the Incident Command Center.

"Though many of us have managed or participated in unit relocations before, a transition of this magnitude is unique," O'Connor-Devlin said. "Fortunately, insights from past, smaller transitions will help us anticipate needs and execute changes seamlessly, aiming to reduce stress for patients and staff."

Administrative coordinators play a pivotal role in pre-planning.

"Coordinators will assess unit needs and ensure units relocating have a low census on November 14," she said. "If other non-impacted units have beds available, patients will be assigned there. If patients are ready to be discharged, we’ll prioritize discharging them before the Friedman Building move to minimize unnecessary transfers."

Patients will be categorized by complexity, allowing the transport team to foresee logistical challenges. Transfers will align with nurse assignments, meaning patients under the care of the same nurse will move to the building at the same time, in a coordinated manner. Clear communication with patients and their loved ones throughout the process will be key, with at least one guest accompanying the patient during the move and becoming familiar with the new unit.

Both the original and receiving (new) units will have dedicated team coordinators and resource nurses throughout move-in day. This will ensure seamless patient flow from the original unit until their designated move-in time, while newcomers to the new unit receive proper support.

Although support will be plentiful during and after the move, teams will receive training and orientation in October before patients arrive to help familiarize them with the advanced equipment and prepare them to safely care for patients in the new space. An actual transport trial run is planned for October to gauge realistic time frames on how long it takes to move patients from unit to unit.

“We are excited to be getting closer to the opening of the new state-of-the-art units and the Grand Opening of the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building,” O'Connor-Devlin said. “The design and amenities go a long way toward ensuring we can offer the type of care we would want for our loved ones while also enhancing the experience of staff.”