Hospital unveils new patient pavilion
Christus St. Vincent’s Frost Pavilion features 36 private rooms
No one knows better than Lillian Montoya that Northern New Mexico families go places together — whether a graduation or a wedding or a sports event.
Families also travel together for hospital visits, said Montoya, chief operating officer of Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.
“We bring our entire pack,” she said Thursday at the grand opening of the new 36-room Frost Pavilion at the hospital’s campus on St. Michael’s Drive. The 18-month construction project marks the beginning of a new era for treatment at Christus St. Vincent, one in which each inpatient will get a private room with ample space for visits and overnight family stays.
The pavilion, which juts out into what was a parking area, will open to new patients before Thanksgiving. With the new rooms available, each wing of the old hospital building will now be closed, renovated and then reopened in phases, with the entire project wrapping up by the end of 2018.
When completed, the hospital will house from 200 to 206 inpatient rooms, each accommodating just one patient with about 280 square feet of space. That’s larger than the hospital’s current rooms, which average 240 square feet. There also will be a dozen wider, wheelchair-accessible rooms offering 400 square feet of space.
In a series of community outreach meetings in 2004, Christus executives heard from many patients that private rooms were one of the most important things they wanted from a hospital building.
Patrick Carrier, president and CEO of Christus St. Vincent, said it’s not just about family comfort and privacy. Single rooms, he said, have reduced hospital infection
rates around the United States and provide better overall care. One patient per room makes it easier for nurses and other medical staffers to come and go with less inconvenience and is better for doctors who need to have private conversations with patients and their family members.
The new hospital wing contains more than just rooms. There are open and airy waiting areas with mountain views, an expanded cafeteria, skylights and a warmer overall feel than the main Christus building, now 40 years old.
Local artwork is sprinkled throughout the new pavilion, complete with a tour map so visitors can walk and view all the pieces. The 67 pieces, purchased for $100,000, are all from New Mexico artisans, including Joel Nakamura, Robb Rael and Emmi Whitehorse.
Tours of the new wing are open to the public from noon to 3 p.m. Friday. Those interested should park at the main hospital lot and walk to the event tent or take the shuttle bus that makes rounds through the parking lot.