Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s new Sobrato Pavilion serves as a model for other health care systems
Everyone in need of medical care wants to be welcomed by people who are inspired, enthused and passionate. Since 1876, when Santa Clara County’s first hospital was built on the current site of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, physicians, nurses, therapists and staff have continually brought passion and inspiration to patients and to the workplace. And with the December 2017 opening of the state-of-the-art Sobrato Pavilion, a brand-new level of pride emerged.
“Our pride in working here is even more amplified now,” said Dr. James Crew, Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine at Valley Medical Center. As the newest hospital wing at VMC, the 370,000-square-foot Sobrato Pavilion is the latest example of VMC’s ongoing commitment to provide leading-edge public health care in Santa Clara County. Among the facility’s seven floors are three rehabilitation units with advanced technology and equipment for people recovering from spinal cord or brain injuries.
“The Sobrato Pavilion provides a clear advantage for patients and our teams, given our now enhanced ability to incorporate innovative rehabilitation technologies into patient care,” said Dr. Crew, noting some of the new facility’s many benefits. Additionally, there is an unmeasurable value of patient privacy in the Sobrato Pavilion,” he explained; up to four patients previously might share the same room. Now, each patient has their own private room in the Sobrato Pavilion. “The majority of our patients have just gone through severe trauma or been diagnosed with some type of disabling condition,” he added. “It is a very difficult time for patients and families, and having a private space is of great value during their rehabilitation admission.”
Dr. Crew explained that patients’ family members are not only impressed by the state-of –the-art building and private rooms, but also by the equipment they are now able to utilize. The two floors of the rehabilitation centers feature everything from robotic-assisted technology and electrical stimulation therapy to an aquatic rehabilitation center with a treadmill-style pool. “And in the main gym space, the ZeroG gait and balance system is revolutionizing the way SCVMC therapists are retraining patients on standing and walking,” he said.
For Valley Medical Center CEO Paul Lorenz, the revolutionizing power of the Sobrato Pavilion speaks to VMC’s unwavering dedication to the community it serves. “State-of-the-art facilities make a difference in our ability to be more efficient and effective in the care we provide,” he said. From the rehabilitation centers, new ICU floors and acute care centers to welcoming spaces such as a Garden Atrium and a Meditation Room, the Sobrato Pavilion demonstrates that VMC is a model for other health care organizations to follow.
“As a public hospital, we take our fiduciary responsibility very seriously,” Lorenz said. “Even with health care reform and other changes, this health care system continues to evolve, get stronger and find better ways to serve the community, ranging from individuals who are homeless to individuals who are looking for state-of-the-art health care, rehabilitation or burn care. It’s quite remarkable what a gem we have here in this community,” Lorenz added. “We already had a good reputation in terms of clinical quality of care, given the types of physicians and clinicians that provide care here; now the facilities themselves match the level of care already being provided.”
Many additional improvements are well underway at VMC. Among them, the Women’s and Children’s Center will have single-patient rooms for maternity patients within the next 12 months, and the Regional Burn Center is expanding from eight to 12 beds over the next three to four years.
The $468 million Sobrato Pavilion was paid for primarily from the final allotment of funds from Measure A, a 2008 bond measure passed by Santa Clara County voters to fund hospital seismic safety and medical facilities in the county. Named for Silicon Valley philanthropist John Sobrato, whose record-setting $5 million donation was matched by the VMC Foundation, the pavilion reflects the community’s commitment to the quality of care VMC has continued to expand over time.
Although the design and construction of the new Sobrato Pavilion spanned nearly a decade, it was worth the wait for patients and the collective VMC team. “The fact is that this project and the benefits of it will serve people long into the future,” Lorenz said. “People know you have to invest today to have something for tomorrow. We simply could not do what we do today without the community’s support.”
With the Sobrato Pavilion serving as an example of the care and innovative services that the entire health system offers, VMC itself is a model of social and environmental responsibility. In addition to providing unmatched levels of inpatient care for a public medical center, the construction of new facilities surpassed environmental requirements. Visitors may stand in awe of its 4,000 tons of structural steel (equal to 1.77 space shuttles at liftoff ) or its 1,090,000 lineal feet of electrical conduit (103 times the length of California). But VMC is in the process of obtaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification for the facility. If awarded, VMC would be the first public hospital in the nation to obtain this national standard.
It’s all part of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s revolutionizing approach to health care.