The new Summa Health
By Patricia Nugent
The recent groundbreaking of Summa Health’s six-story West Tower patient facility represents the first step on a transformative $350 million journey toward a “new Summa.”
Several hundred city dignitaries, community leaders, hospital top brass and clinical representatives were on hand when the first shovels of dirt were turned over.
“The new West Tower reflects our abiding commitment to a healthcare model that is focused on wellness,” says Interim President and CEO Dr. Cliff Deveny, “one that is achieved by delivering coordinated patient-centered care to each individual we serve.”
Set to open by the spring of 2019, it’s fitting that the landmark 300,000-square-foot Tower on Adolph Street will create a new entrance to the Akron campus and act as the initial introduction welcoming visitors to the health system.
Within the new facility will be:
- Private patient rooms, which will increase the number of private rooms to approximately 80 percent of beds at the Akron campus;
- Eight expanded surgery suites and patient bays. Two of the suites will house the additional equipment required for two daVinci robotic systems;
- Two floors dedicated solely to women’s health;
- A breast center;
- A multi-purpose conference center;
- A large covered canopy area for drop-off with dedicated valet services.
An architectural marvel, the soaring curvaceous design features a modern glass façade meant to blend with the terracotta brick of the existing hospital.
The glass and textured tile building is an inspired collaboration between Akron-based Hasenstab Architects and the Cleveland firm Perspectus Architecture, and built by Northeast Ohio firms Donley’s and Shook Construction.
Implementing Advanced Virtual Design
Putting the technology of tomorrow into action today is a hallmark of Summa Health’s ongoing mission. So not surprisingly, it is one of the first hospital systems in the country to use Microsoft HoloLens technology in the design of the operating rooms for the new tower.
During initial design, wearing HoloLens eyewear, clinicians, administrators and support staff were able to stand in the middle of a fully built virtual operating room and identify problems with equipment size and location, room design, storage, overhead components and other intricacies of the space.
The technology was intended to not only ultimately make the operating rooms more efficient, but also to cut down on construction costs by reducing the need to rework elements of design, as well as shorten the design cycle itself.
Kickoff to a Bold Five-Year Plan
In addition to the West Tower, over the next five years the master facility plan includes modernizing the health system’s Barberton campus, while adding a new 50,000-square-foot medical office building to the Akron campus, and increasing outpatient capacity system-wide.
The master facility plan, which was announced in 2016, underscores the vision at Summa Health for the future of healthcare—a vision grounded in mission-driven principles of keeping people well and improving the overall health of the communities it serves.
“The construction of the West Tower is the first step in the master facility plan designed to support the delivery of the highest quality patient-centered care,” says Dr. Deveny. “The West Tower is a tangible sign of our commitment to be here for the families of our community for another 125 years.”
Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in Ohio. The health system is nationally renowned for excellence in patient care and for exceptional approaches to healthcare delivery. For more information on the Master Facility Plan, and to view renderings of the West Tower, visit SummaHealth.org.