Dave Brooks has helped oversee Providence Everett Medical Center’s new medical tower project nearly from the beginning, first as chief operating officer and now as the hospital’s chief executive.
Here are some excerpts from a recent question-and-answer session with Brooks on the building proj
ect. (We’ll have more about the new Providence tower and how it will change the competitive landscape in a story on Sunday.)
Q: What are some features about the medical tower that you would like people to know about?
A: I think a lot of people will be pretty impressed with the warmth of it. For a clinical institution, it is going to feel very warm, non-institutional, a feeling designed around a patient and family experience … from both a layout viewpoint to an amenity viewpoint to hopefully the sensitivity.
Q: The building’s entryway doesn’t have a big atrium; it’s not cathedral-like.
A: Yes … Our public spaces are handsome, well-done with the warm wood, stone and artwork, but it’s not a “cathedral.”
I think when you walk through the building that what you’ll have as an impression is high quality, but not overdone. It’s the community’s money we’re ultimately investing … bond money, donations, Sisters of Providence resources.
It’s your health-care dollar. We have to keep looking for that balance between high quality, yet low cost.
Q: The medical tower has two empty floors. Was that the original plan?
A: We felt we wanted to build the tower to expand over time and not have to trigger adding the next building, which triggers a huge investment.
We’re already ready for that. … It doesn’t mean we won’t have to spend millions to build out those floors, but … it’s not hundreds of millions. The shell is already built.
Q: Do you think that the neighborhood surrounding the medical tower has changed their feelings about the new building?
A: To begin with; I think we had a lot of neighbors who were very supportive and excited. And then we had some who were not happy about this happening next door to them.
I think we listened and the city’s process made sure we listened… I think we’ve lived up to everything we said we would. We said we would work during these hours. We would clean the trucks before they pulled away so they didn’t pull excess dust into the community.
And there are still some, I’m sure, who wish this wasn’t happening next door to them.
Q: Even with the official opening of the new tower, will there be some things that will open later, due to construction issues?
A: At Colby, the current emergency department, when it moves in June 14, gets gutted and we’ll rebuild that to be a lot of public spaces — the new cafeteria, chapel, gift shop and retail pharmacy.
Q: So will the chapel, gift shop, retail pharmacy and cafeteria be open by the end of the year?
A: We’re hoping to.
Q: How will you determine success?
A: Patient and family delight. Increased community confidence in the care we deliver, more than likely as measured by people choosing to stay in their community for their care.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com
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