Memorial Medical Center
Surgery Addition and Remodel
Ashland, Wis.
Memorial Medical Center, a top-ranked Critical Access Hospital in northern Wisconsin, engaged BWBR to design a major surgery and sterile processing addition and renovation — the first project of an ongoing BWBR-designed master expansion plan. Project goals included creating capacity for growing surgery needs; enhancing sterile flow of people, instrumentation, equipment, and supplies (both sterile and soiled); and introducing high-tech features to create the most advanced surgical care in the region.
The new addition became a new entrance to the existing campus for surgery, as well as accommodating patient discharge. The surgery addition includes 24 pre-post rooms, a six-bay PACU unit, nursing areas, and other support spaces. For patient movement, BWBR incorporated one-way flow into the design. The operating room suite includes seven ORs: two smaller ORs accommodate specialty cases, four ORs accommodate typical cases, and one OR houses advanced robotics. The new procedure suite features a sterile central core concept that is wrapped by high-tech operating rooms and has direct access from the sterile processing department (SPD) below. Three endoscopy procedure rooms and one endo/ERCP procedure room are aided by dedicated support space and direct access to pre-post rooms.
A component of the two-story project is a reimagined SPD that increases the department’s footprint by 2,000 s.f. The SPD includes better staff facilities and a streamlined processing flow of instruments, carts, and supplies, as well as increased through-put capacity. The new department layout also incorporates endoscopy processing with a separate processing area and pass-through equipment, as well as multiple instrument and container processing lines that make sure there is strict one-way flow and reduce the potential for human error. To improve staff amenities, new locker rooms and a break room were located directly below the surgical suite to allow for staff to find a place of respite.
Size: 72,800 sq. ft.
Components: Sterile processing department; new surgical space with seven operating rooms and four endoscopy suites; surgery consult spaces; 24 pre-post rooms, including a six-bed post-acute care unit; robotic operating room; a welcoming patient drop-off zone
Completion: 2021
Brad Krump
Scott Holmes (retired)
Ross Baker
Steve Busse
Rich Dunham
Lauren Frank
Mallory Furlong
Susan Golberg
Pete Haag
Kelly Heatley
Michael Jensen
Melanie Kiihn
Mark Kritz
Tina Krueger
Roger “Lars” Larson
Dave Leighly
Inga Oelschlager (retired)
Eric Sahnow
Alex Sirko
Dan Sterner
Bryan Toov