Faster, easier, convenient - for patients and employees
New Lancaster General Downtown Pavilion is designed to meet many needs - from outpatient blood tests and x-rays to employee fitness center and convenience store.
Lancaster New Era
Dec. 2, 2008
By CINDY STAUFFER, Staff Writer
People can have their blood tested or X-rays taken at the new building across Duke Street from Lancaster General Hospital. They can see a doctor or bed down for the night for a sleep test.
Lancaster General employees may work out in a fitness center here, or stop on their way home for a half-gallon of milk at a nearby small convenience store.
The four-story Lancaster General Downtown Pavilion provides a mix of employee and outpatient services. The building is opening in phases, beginning on Monday and continuing through the end of January.
The pavilion is part of a $65 million project that includes an 11-level parking garage and pedestrian bridge, which links the garage to the pavilion and the hospital.
Construction on the project began about a year ago, and the garage and walkway opened in August.
Now the rest of the building is set to open.
An open house is tentatively scheduled early next year.
The outpatient areas of the pavilion are located on all four floors. Up to 1,100 people a day — outpatients and family members — are expected to visit these areas every day.
"It's designed for faster, better, easier access for outpatient services downtown," said Joe Donaldson, Lancaster General strategic implementation engineer.
Some services and offices are moving from the main hospital building to the pavilion, which will free up space for inpatient and other services to move into those locations, he said.
On the pavilion's ground floor, outpatients may undergo blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds and MRIs.
The hospital will be changing the way it does registration for these procedures, introducing a process it is calling "schedgistration," which is designed to gather more information at scheduling to cut down on the wait and registration time at the actual visit, said Susan Stone, director of outpatient services.
The first floor will house outpatient physical therapy services and the offices of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Lancaster.
Also on the first floor will be the new Live Well for Life Employee Fitness Center, an employee health center and a convenience store called Outtakes, which will offer take-home meals, smoothies, snacks, local products and convenience items.
The second floor will house the Sleep Disorders Center, with 12 sleep-study rooms with beds and private baths. Outpatient pulmonary function testing also will be located here, as well as the offices of Pulmonary Associates of Lancaster.
The third floor will house Family Health Services and the Family Medicine Residency office.
The schedule for services opening includes:
-
Monday — outpatient radiology, lab testing, outpatient pulmonary function testing, employee health, Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Lancaster, Pulmonary Associates of Lancaster and the Sleep Disorders Center.
-
Jan. 12 — outpatient physical therapy, Family Health Services and Family Medicine Residency.
-
Mid- to late-January — MRI, Live Well for Life Employee Fitness Center and Outtakes.
Video and article reprint courtesy of the Lancaster New Era.