Gundersen St. Joseph's Hospital and Clinics, Hillsboro Hospital

Adaptability and Flexibility

Knowing that their new 65,000 SF replacement hospital would need to position them for the future, the leadership of Gundersen St. Joseph’s in Hillsboro, Wisconsin, teamed with HGA to conduct a deep analysis of service lines and processes. Adaptability and flexibility quickly emerged as overriding themes for the new facility. Almost every space is positioned to adapt to change; each room is designed to maximize every square inch, with no space ever sitting idle.

For example, the inpatient unit and the emergency department are co-located so the ED can overflow into patient rooms if needed, eliminating the need to “oversize” the ED for high-volume conditions. This proximity also promotes staffing efficiency, a consistent concern for rural facilities given their frequent workforce shortages. By co-locating the work areas of the ED and inpatient unit—and by cross-training staff to work across disciplines—Gundersen projects an annual operational savings of approximately $500,000 over a traditional departmental layout.

Other examples of space flexibility include a large inpatient room that will double as the infusion clinic and standardized clinic exam rooms with equipment selected to accommodate most of the specialists’ needs.

Sustainability measures were implemented to help the facility save on operating costs including energy efficiency designs to produce heat, cooling, and heating water in addition to energy-efficient lighting and appliances.

Technology is also an important component of Gundersen’s vision for rural care. Leadership has begun exploring telemedicine for services throughout the building, including the ED, inpatient unit, and specialty clinic. Their new hospital’s check-in system is also designed to leverage technology. Check-in desks will be convertible to digital kiosks and can even support concierge-style tablet check-in in the future.