Two new hospitals and 139 patients: a ‘moving’ recap of Dec. 10
More than 1,000 staffers pulled together for move day
It was an exciting day in the history of UF Health as our two new hospitals — the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital and the UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital — opened to patients and visitors on Sunday, Dec. 10. In about six hours, our care teams used wheelchairs, rolling stretchers and beds to transfer 139 inpatients to the new space, with employees and staff volunteers ensuring the move process was like a well-oiled machine.
One after the other, our staff carefully transported patients through an organized maze of tunnels, hallways and elevators to their new private rooms.
The UF Health faculty, residents, staff and volunteers who contributed to the planning process, opening festivities and patient moves pulled out all the stops to make this day happen, nearly five years after the initial planning. The hospitals, outpatient practices and programs are now serving patients, and plans are underway to continue activating the remaining units to accommodate more patients.
Visit Bridge.UFHealth.org/blueprints for more information on construction, renovations and improvement projects underway at UF Health.
Jesse Jones
Step-by-step recap
Here’s how we transferred inpatients from UF Health Shands Hospital to the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital and the UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital.
Step 1:
In the days leading up to the big move, patients and family members were given move day cards from nursing staff — highlighting move times and new patient room locations — to help them prepare for the transition.
Step 2:
Pack teams gathered patient belongings and prepared them for the move.
Step 3:
Move teams were dispatched to pick up their assigned patients and transport them to the new hospitals. Patient names and assigned room numbers were verified again at a special command post staging area on the ground floor of UF Health Shands Hospital by the Radiology check-in desk.
Step 4:
Patients and their move teams headed to their assigned floors and rooms, where they were greeted by their nursing teams. There, unpack teams helped patients settle into their new rooms.
Step 5:
Nurses oriented patients to the new room features. In the new hospitals, each patient room features a patient infotainment system with an interactive patient engagement app that runs via a bedside tablet and large-screen TV. Each non-ICU room also offers convertible furniture (a sofa/bed and tabletop) that encourages loved ones to stay with patients to provide support.
Fun facts
- It took approximately six hours to move 139 inpatients
- At least 1,000 UF Health faculty and staff contributed to the planning, opening and patient moves
- Three- to five-person teams transported about 24 patients per hour.
Move-day stats on patient TV/tablet infotainment system usage for Dec. 10-17:
- 16 hours of audio services used
- 47 minutes of educational videos viewed
- 71 patients used the system to adjust room temperature
- 138 hours of movies watched
Thank you to UF Health team members who represented their hardworking departments as members of several transition subcommittees: Communications, IT Services, Orientation, Patient Care and Support Services. Here’s what your team members had to say:
“So many teams collaborated throughout this process and during the move, and patients talked about how well our staff worked together. Each team was ready and prepared that day.”
Carla Walker, patient transporter,
UF Health Shands Patient Transport
“Many people across several departments within UF Health contributed extra time and effort, which allowed this transition to occur as seamlessly as possible. Although the building is beautiful, it’s the people that make it special.”
Sean Kiley, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology
and critical care medicine, UF College of Medicine
“It’s not every day you see nearly 140 patients moved into a new hospital. The teamwork I saw that day was unimaginable — from those at the command center to staff members transporting patients — everyone was willing to lend a helping hand. It was truly a great experience!”
Michelle Gittino, administrative resident,
UF Health Shands Administration
“Opening new hospitals and ensuring that we have every supply needed to take care of our patients and ensure patient safety was a team effort. The entire Supply Chain Services team worked countless hours to make sure this move was a success. It was not always easy, but everyone came together to make sure we did not miss a beat. We opened on time with everything needed to operate on Day 1.”
Justin Mosley, Inventory project coordinator, UF Health Shands Supply Chain Services
“In preparation for the opening of our new hospitals, we commenced operations in our main pharmacy a few days early. That strategy really paid off as pharmacy services on Dec. 10 were very seamless with no major hitches. I cannot say enough about our pharmacy staff who helped in executing our plan flawlessly.”
Ken Komorny, Pharm.D., BCPS, clinical pharmacy services assistant director, UF Health Shands Pharmacy
FUN FACTS: Did you know?
- The first educational video viewed by a patient was “Managing Your High Blood Pressure.”
- The first on-demand movie viewed via the Sonifi system was “Passengers,” featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.
“IT worked closely with nursing to successfully install a patient infotainment system, also known as Sonifi. As we rounded on each nursing unit, it was apparent our patients immediately began using their new interactive tools on the TV and tablet. Patients were watching on-demand movies, adjusting their room temperature and learning more about their health by viewing patient education videos assigned by their nurse.”
Shannon Jones, application analyst and infotainment system install project manager, UF Health IT Services
“I was surprised at how smoothly the move went. Everybody involved was extremely helpful and it was nice to see how we all made sure the patients were well taken care of and informed on what was happening. It was nice to see the excitement on the patients’ faces as we were packing their belongings and preparing them for transport to the new hospital.”
Dave Marra, HRD, management development coordinator, UF Health Shands Human Resources Development
“This was a very smooth move. Everyone was engaged in our department — from the dietitians helping deliver meals on the nursing units, to Lee Marlow keeping track of room changes for us at the command post, to our staff preparing and delivering patient meals. No patient missed their breakfast or lunch. The Food and Nutrition department always pulls together during these type of extraordinary situations.”
Andrew Hennis, C.D.M., CFPP, director, UF Health Shands Food and Nutrition Services
“As the clinical teams relocated patients, the facilities team assisted by driving elevators, pointing transport teams in the right direction and sharing greetings of ‘Welcome to our new hospital’ and ‘We know you are going to love your new room.’ Our team felt privileged to participate in moving UF Health patients into these beautiful new hospitals.”
Joanne Kneal, administrative manager, UF Health Shands Facilities Development
“I escorted a Gainesville Sun photographer to the room of a (consented) patient on a unit where my communications colleagues were already waiting to capture the move. The photographer was able to snap a shot of two great teams on the move and the public got a glimpse of the scale of this tremendous effort.”
Rossana Passaniti, media relations coordinator, UF Health Communications
“I volunteered to work the day of the move and was put on move team 4 with an OR tech and a respiratory therapist. We moved patients from the NSICU in UF Health Shands Hospital to the NMICU in the new UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital. The move went smoothly, due to all of the work put in ahead of time in determining which patients moved first. Everyone understood their role and moved quickly to help safely move patients.”
Amy Thompson, R.N., Neuromedicine ICU nurse, UF Health Shands Nursing and Patient Services
