Enchancing the Patient Experience at Palos Community Hospital

Palos Community Hospital’s vision for health care has taken shape as we open our new Hospitaller Pavilion. Opening on March 19, the 400,000-square-foot facility features an innovative Center for Short Stay Care, technologically advanced surgical suites, state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit and private patient rooms.

Each aspect of our initiative plays a key role in Palos’ mission to deliver world-class health care in a compassionate and caring environment, and our new private patient rooms are designed to deliver on that promise beautifully.

Studies show that private patient rooms are not only comfortable and efficient, but therapeutic. They provide a quiet healing environment that can improve blood pressure, heart rate, quality of sleep and even pain management. With this goal in mind, all newly constructed and refurbished private patient rooms at Palos Community Hospital are designed to reduce noise and distractions and enhance patient comfort and safety to help facilitate healing.

Palos’ private patient rooms feature hardwood-like floors and soft furnishings, accented with warm woods, curved lines, rounded edges and a soothing color palette. They also are equipped with a mix of lighting options, including overhead task lighting, subdued wall sconces and soft pathway lighting. New flat-screen televisions provide both entertainment and educational opportunities.

In addition to providing a more therapeutic healing environment, our new private patient rooms offer some of the most advanced health care technologies available. Using an innovative three-zone patient care model, the center of the room is designed around the patient, with a head wall that provides direct access to medical monitoring equipment and important respiratory supplies.

The front of the room houses the caregiving zone, where health care providers carry out monitoring and charting functions from the bedside. At the opposite end, the expanded family zone – featuring a convertible sofa/sleeper – not only increases visitor comfort but encourages family involvement and support for the patient. Even the private bathrooms have been expanded to enhance patient safety and accessibility.

“The three-zone system facilitates a patient-focused care model that is versatile and maximizes efficiencies in care delivery,” says Adrienne Sarnecki, assistant vice president of nursing of Medical Surgical Services at Palos Community Hospital. “The expansive floor plan and updated amenities are designed to increase patient comfort, and all of the materials chosen for use in the rooms are intended to create a comfortable home-like environment that supports patient healing and recovery.”

Helping patients feel better faster is at the core of everything we do at Palos Community Hospital. Our new private rooms offer patients the most advanced health care technologies in a relaxed soothing environment that helps decrease stress, maintain our already low infection rates, increase privacy and ultimately speed recovery. Located within the beautifully wooded community of Palos Heights, the healing process begins the moment you set foot on campus.

With the Hospitaller Pavilion fully operational, work will begin to convert existing semi-private patient rooms to private. When both phases are complete, Palos Community Hospital will be home to 428 beds, along with the advanced technologies and expanded facilities to provide world-class health care right here in your own community.