Feb. 26, 2019

The first patients will move next week into an expanded intensive care unit at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.

The 28-bed ICU is on the second floor of the main hospital building, which was the rehabilitation unit before it moved to the top floor of the Prairie Center.

It’s an increase of six beds compared to the current ICU, with many individual rooms more than doubling in size.

“We did a complete gutting of the space,” said Amy Boyd, ICU nurse manager. “We really tried to get staff involvement and were seeking their ideas. They’re the ones doing the workflow at the bedside every day, so we looked at what they find meaningful to care for patients.”

Using a “lean” team to evaluate workflow and visiting two recently renovated ICUs out of state, Avera designed its new rooms to maximize efficiency.

That includes an easy way to stock supplies, careful placement of things such as sanitizers and holders for boxes of gloves, easy access to gases needed in the room and built-in water sources to help with dialysis.

“We also looked at advancements in technology for patient and staff safety and installed lifts in every room to help with safe patient handling,” Boyd said.

The new ICU also is laid out in pods, allowing staff easier access and sightlines to patients.

The expanded rooms include space dedicated for families, including additional outlets for charging devices.

“Currently, they’ve had to step out so we could care for the patients,” Boyd said.

Patients will be moved next week in one day using an incident command system with extra staff to help, she said.

A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28.

The current ICU will be remodeled into operating room suites.