Stationed along the gentle bend of a railroad hub, Alliance, Nebraska, is a rural community home for farmers, manufacturers, and people supporting the railway industry. Delivering innovative health care and community wellness to this blended population can be a challenge, especially since Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) is the only significant hospital within a 50-mile radius. To bring its health care services up to speed, BBGH selected BWBR and local Nebraska firms CMBA Architects and Beckenhauer Construction to update a campus master plan, followed by a major hospital expansion and revitalization.

Meeting the community’s needs was a top priority. At the start of design, BWBR facilitated focus groups for physicians, staff, and community members, culminating in a community presentation to share the design with residents. As the project progressed, the team achieved USDA funding, applied Lean planning principles and healing environments strategies, and included provisions for current and future technologies.

In addition to updating the facility’s function and identity, the design also dramatically improved wayfinding by clearly linking all of the major departments together along a common circulation spine. The team utilized Evidence-Based Design for the core concept emergency department and the on-stage/off-stage inpatient unit. Both have a staff core with patient/visitor circulation around the outside of patient/treatment rooms. The updated campus lays a health care track that will serve the region for years to come.