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South Jersey Times: Cooper University Hospital’s new wing sets standard for patient care

Cooper University Hospital hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday to officially open its newest addition.

The hospital unveiled two new floors of patient rooms in the Roberts Pavilion. Each floor has 25,000 square feet of space featuring 30 private patient rooms designed to accommodate cardiac patients and those in need of cardiac surgery.

The new rooms were created with the idea of patient comfort in mind, according to spokeswoman Lori Shaffer. Each room has a bathroom featuring mosaic tiles and an easy-access shower. The rooms are outfitted with glass structures and murals to provide a pleasing look for the patients and have a sleeper sofa and a laptop station for patient visitors.

“These rooms have a little bit of a spa-like feature,” said Shaffer. “It’s very warm and nice.”

Vascular surgeon Francis J. Caputo shared his enthusiasm for the new space and his excitement at the opportunity to work with his patients there.

“Today is a good day and I’m really proud to be a part of Cooper,” said Caputo. “What a place to practice my art. I am proud to be a Cooper physician today.”

After the ribbon was cut, visitors were free to explore the new rooms of the hospital to witness firsthand the latest developments at Cooper.

According to Caputo, patient care will be based off a previously used and highly rated model of vascular surgery care.

“Patients know every day exactly what they expect and what not to expect in the hospital,” said Caputo. “That along with an excellent group of nurses — we can’t go wrong here, guys.”

Each room is designed to be interchangeable with the inclusion of intermediate monitoring. This allows for cardiac patients to remain in one room for the duration of their stay rather than being moved between rooms as their care needs change. These room modifications were just some of the many changes the hospital included in the new rooms.

Other features of the $30 million expansion include nurse server units that can be accessed from both inside and outside of the room to minimize patient disturbances. Each room will feature a private safe and a monitor providing patients with important numbers and information relevant to their health care needs. Beginning in January, patients will be able to order their food through an interactive room-service menu.

“I want to thank everybody and we’re really looking forward to the patient care experience here being the top in the entire Delaware Valley,” said Perry J. Weinstock, director of the Cooper Heart Institute.

Another key feature of the new area is the revolutionized nursing stations. Instead of a centrally located station in each wing, the new stations will be located between every two rooms to better allow nurses access to their patients.

In addition, each shift of hospital staff will be attending to their patients through multi-disciplinary rounds where doctors and nurses can proactively provide care as a team.

“It’s a key feature to have that shared workspace so that everyone comes together and everyone is on the same page,” said Clinical Director Kimberly Hummel.

According to Cooper University Healthcare’s President and Chief Executive Officer Adrienne Kirby, the hospital has seen an increase of 6.9 percent in patient admissions. This led to the need for a larger area to better suit patient needs with hope to continue improving the patient experience.

“As we continue to focus on patient-centered care, we also offer the best possible technology and medical care in beautiful patient accommodations,” Kirby said.

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http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2014/08/post_19.html