Built With Safety in Mind

Safety trumps all at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. Here are a few ways the building has been designed to promote an environment of safety for patients, visitors and medical staff:

Nurse-physician partnership

To streamline patient care, reduce errors and improve care at the bedside, the new Nurse-Physician Partnership works to include all members of the health care team during patient rounds - not just physicians.

Private inpatient and emergency care rooms

Studies have shown that private patient rooms reduce the spread of infection among patients, as well as medical staff. The Emergency Department also features 30 private exam rooms, about half of which have a private bathroom.

Health care team stations

The design of the inpatient floors allows health care teams to remain close to the patient. With unique work alcoves outside patients' rooms, health care teams can keep a close eye on a patient - without entering the room and disturbing the patient.

Standardized layout of the operating rooms

All 10 operating rooms are laid out identically, ensuring equipment - and even the patient - are in the same location in each OR, a best practice step to help reduce medical error.

Special operating room lighting

Tinted green lighting is being used in all ORs. Studies have shown that green lighting allows the human eye to better distinguish fine lines and smaller objects, an advantage when performing surgery.

Medication delivery

Medication delivery has been redesigned so that medication requests are placed immediately, there is a single-source location for all medications on each floor, and nurses are informed via a flashing light when medications arrive on the floor.

Convenient medical equipment storage areas

Storage areas are located adjacent to the patient rooms on the inpatient floors, which makes it easier for staff to access patient care supplies, and reduces their time away from the patient. This design keeps crash carts closer to patients. Plus, newborn safety equipment is in all Labor/Delivery rooms.

Care at the bedside

Inpatient procedures only will be done by members of a specialty procedure team, either at the bedside or in a procedure room. Studies have shown that variability in techniques and processes contribute to in-hospital complications. Having a dedicated team improves safety through decreased process variability.

Air filtration system

Manufactured by StrionAir, the system meets LEED certification for efficiency and durability, stops the circulation of external pollutants like diesel exhaust and smog, eliminates airborne mold, viruses and bacteria, and protects against the infiltration of deadly viruses like anthrax, smallpox, tuberculosis and SARS.

No carpeting in patient rooms

Carpeting is not only difficult to thoroughly clean, it's also been shown to harbor microbes, making it possible to easily spread germs and disease. That's why carpeting has been eliminated from patient rooms based on CDC recommendations, and replaced with flooring that can be thoroughly cleaned.