New Construction Complete at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
With the completion of Phase 6 of new construction, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital welcomes the opening of two new pavilions, the Compton Pavilion and the Arlington Pavilion.
In the Fall of 2018, these new pavilions will serve as the home of the Cottage Children’s Medical Center (CCMC), as well as the expanded locations of several other departments that have been housed elsewhere throughout the hospital.
The new Phase 6 construction includes 134,000 additional feet of added space and 92 additional licensed beds. The new central courtyard and the 'River of Life' that runs through it, are mirrors of those on the other side of the new hospital.
Cottage Children's Medical Center
Located on the third floor of the Arlington Pavilion, the new Cottage Children's Medical Center now connects all pediatric units to one another.
Previously, some of these services were located on different floors and were at a distance from the birth center and mother infant area. Having all of the children’s services on the third floor means greater efficiency and continuity of care. There’s also less moving and disruption of patients and families.
Being in the hospital is very stressful for children and families. The new Cottage Children’s Medical Center is designed for optimal patient care, and also to support families at a time when they are under tremendous stress.
Cottage Children’s Medical Center features a Child Life Program and Certified Child Life Specialist who are dedicated to easing the stress and providing comfort to all children and teens in our care, as well as supporting their families.
Healing Art & Decor
The décor theme of CCMC focuses on the Santa Barbara seaside and scenes from Stearns Wharf. Bird and animal foot prints on the floor and pictures of animals on the walls allow for fun and entertainment and can aid children in their recovery.
In addition to being fun and decorative, the footprints allow both nursing and therapy staff - physical and occupational therapy - to motivate children in their recovery process. The foot prints will be used to encourage children to move around and follow the prints down the hallway.
In the 'Pelican Hallway', pelicans on pier posts not only are fun décor and help ease stress, they also allow for additional therapeutic interaction by using art to promote healing. Children are encouraged to stretch and reach and touch the pelicans, and to walk "just a little farther to that pelican way over there", for example.
This healing art theme can be seen throughout the Medical Center's various departments, waiting rooms and hallways. Like all areas of the new hospital, healing art is an important part of the patient and family experience.
Acute Pediatrics
There are 38 beds, all in private rooms, in the acute pediatrics unit. The former unit had only 17 beds and some shared rooms. Each room comes equipped with child-size bathtubs, sleeping areas for parents, as well as fun & customizable lighting, which can be controlled by children to change the color of the light around the room and to adjust the intensity of the light.
The flexible and colorful lighting gives young patients an enhanced sense of control over their surroundings. While patients are recovering, they rarely are in control of their environment, their treatment, or their pain, and as a result they lose any sense of control over their lives. Adjusting the lighting helps them maintain a sense of control and can have a positive effect on their healing.
Pediatric Intensive Care – PICU
Cottage Children’s Medical Center is a Level II (two) Pediatric Trauma Center (PICU), offering the highest level of trauma care between Los Angeles and the San Jose.
The PICU is located directly below the rooftop air transport helipad, allowing critically ill and injured children from outlying areas to be transported to care at Cottage very quickly. Last year, there were more than 6,000 pediatric emergency and trauma related visits to Cottage Children’s Medical Center.
There are eight patient beds in all-private rooms in the PICU. In the center of each room is the “boom” which is the connection point for the vent, cardiac monitor, oxygen, and suction. Clinical staff can move it around and out of the way to provide the most complete access to the patient. Previously these access ports were fixed on the headboard only, limiting access.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – NICU
The most important feature of the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cottage Children’s Medical Center is that it is now on the same floor and adjacent to Women’s Services, which includes the Birth Center and Mother-Infant Unit. This allows mothers and families with premature babies to be much closer to the NICU. Last year there were more than 260 infants who were admitted to our NICU.
There are 22 patient beds in the new NICU, the same amount as the previous location. The unit is designed into three “pods” which can accommodate six infants in each pod. Another new feature will be 'NICView', which allows parents who are outside and away from the NICU to view their infant from their personal phones.
The new NICU also has an isolation room, procedure room and a room with two beds to allow parents to “room in” or sleep in the same room as their baby prior to discharge. The patient bedside has curtains for privacy for skin to skin contact or breast feeding and pumping.
The design of the NICU features skylights in the corridor to allow more natural light. Large windows look out to a private patio which has a water feature and seating areas with tables to allow parents a chance to be outside to relieve stress.
Playroom
The new CCMC features two different play areas for patients and their families. One is designed for younger children. The second is a separate play area for adolescents.
Emergency Department
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a regional referral center for Central California and the only Level I (one) Trauma Center between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. More than 46,000 patients visited to the Emergency Department (ED) in 2017.
Part of the new construction will include an expansion of the ED. Areas of the existing Emergency Department will be closed and remodeled with expected completion in 2020. Once complete the new ED will feature 24 private treatment rooms, as well as a new CT scanner and X-ray.
Inpatient Dialysis
Now located on first floor Arlington Pavilion, the new Inpatient Dialysis Department will house eight treatment areas (previously had six).
More than 2,000 treatments provided last year, including Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis and Therapeutic Apheresis. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is the only hospital in Santa Barbara County providing Apheresis services.
All the new equipment will be portable to enable treatments at the bedside for intensive care patients.
Oncology
The new Oncology Department will be located on the first floor of Compton Pavilion. A total of 12 beds will be located in larger patient rooms, that come equipped with enhanced guest accommodations in each. Increased space dedicated to chemotherapy preparation and storage will also be available.
In 2017, our Oncology Department served 1,000 newly diagnosed patients.
Telemetry
Telemetry is an observation tool used to monitor the Electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythm of patients. Now located on the second floor of the Compton Pavilion, the new Telemetry Department has the capability to monitor up to 80 patients, and houses 32 total beds with enhanced guest accommodations in each patient room.
In 2017, our Telemetry Department served more than 10,000 patients.
Cottage Museum & Amphitheatre
Featuring state of the art audio and visual equipment, the new amphitheatre has a stage and theater seating for 144 people. It will primarily be used for medical education and community events.
In the foyer, a museum that features artifacts and historical items is dedicated to the 127-year history of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, its founders, community and generations of caring.
