Projects: Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center

Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center has been serving healthcare needs of a rapidly growing population in the northwest valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. With population growth came need to expand services to meet demand. Since its beginning as a 150-bed community hospital in 1983, within little more than 10 years it became a 318-bed facility, added high-risk obstetrics, ambulatory care services, MRI and telemetry capabilities, angioplasty and open heart surgery, and expanded the Emergency Center twice.

Practical realities of the market and the condition of existing facilities, coupled with strategic goals, required a plan to improve operational efficiencies and support new technologies, while offering enough flexibility to continue growth with changes in demand and in delivery of care.

The strategic planning process addressed needs of the community, alignment with goals of Samaritan Health System for standard of care, and enhancement of the TSMC reputation for customer-centered service. Key planning strategies for TSMC were to: 1) increase capacity of medical/surgical, emergency, women’s and pediatrics, and critical care services, 2) embrace the learning and healing environments through Planetree development, 3) initiate expansion and organize services along tertiary lines, 4) build foundation to support future growth, 5) link with a network of ambulatory services and physicians, and 6) redesign processes to improve efficiencies and to reduce costs.

Facility planning was an interactive process with TSMC planning committee representatives, administrators and department managers. VDPW reviewed current service relationships, patient and work flow, space allocation and proximities, and potential future levels of service and operational efficiency. VDPW also analyzed site capacity, access and relationship of buildings, parking arrangement and demand, location of utility services, as well as potential growth pattern and extent. Departmental requirements were prioritized to satisfy three criteria: 1) to provide for services which will potentially have the greatest impact on increased revenues,

2) to provide for new or enhanced service lines that will have immediate impact on community and staff image perceptions of TSMC for meeting market need, and 3) to address needs of those departments currently under the most stress (space and/or equipment) for expansion of capacity.

The resulting plan consists of new construction on the TSMC campus to promote and enhance cardiology and surgical services, Women’s & Infant services, Emergency Care, an entry into a new pediatrics market, and development of conference and education facilities. The plan encourages periodic review and update over time, as market conditions change and as service lines evolve with new technology.

The concept for implementation of the master plan represents a realistic approach to development, allowing TSMC to proceed with its budgeted capital improvements scheduled for completion prior to start of the first building addition project. Implementation of the master plan would continue for all departments providing services required for support of strategic initiatives, and funded by available financial resources from success of earlier project development of strategic priorities completes the plan for campus growth, at a level of service volume projected for planning target year 2003. The master plan anticipates continued service growth and reserves space for continued physical development of the campus. Subsequent expansion is also identified in the plan for development of all departments to a level of service volume projected for the planning target year 2006.

The building program is phased for minimal impact to on-going operations and services, in a continuous construction sequence planned to allow expansion of select departments into areas vacated by other departments during immediately preceding moves. Functional planning maintains viable operational relationships until optimum proximities are established.