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New $375 million St. Anthony Hospital to open next month
By John Gleason
The day draws near with much anticipation. Those involved agree that it’s been a labor of love.
On June 20, the new St. Anthony Hospital will open on the St. Anthony Medical Campus on land that used to belong to the Federal Center in Lakewood, a mere six miles from the hospital’s current location.
The $375 million, eight-story, 560,000-square-foot state of the art facility includes 222 private rooms, a Level I Trauma Center, emergency rooms, 14 surgical suites and in-patient facilities. The campus also includes OrthoColorado Hospital—which provides advanced orthopedic and spine care—two medical office plazas and an 848-space parking garage.
The new St. Anthony Hospital is easily the most up-to-date health care facility in the state. During a tour of the hospital conducted two weeks ago, guides noted some of its interesting facts: it has 14,000 electrical outlets, 2,400 doors, 200 security cameras and an advanced snowmelt system at all entrances. But more than all that, the new St. Anthony’s is a pleasing, caring facility that in many ways doesn’t remind you of a hospital.
Step through the front door and it’s easy to forget where you are: with open spaces, comfortable chairs, large windows and muted earth tones, the interior exudes a healing, restful atmosphere. There’s a warm, inviting reception area with cafeteria and lounge where patients and family can relax and talk, oversized skylights make maximum use of natural light, and an intimate chapel is available for quiet reflection and prayer.
Tim Keenan, administrative director of support services for St. Anthony, oversees most of the non-clinical functions of the hospital operation.
“I work with the things most people don’t immediately think of when they think of a hospital,” he said. “Everything from maintaining the structure to cleaning the floors; you have to have a facility in good working order before you open the door and that’s exactly what we have here.”
Keenan has been involved in the new hospital since its inception, working with architects and contractors to make sure the facility lives up to all expectations. He agrees the new St. Anthony’s is much more than simply a place where people come to be treated, which is what makes it special.
“I’d describe it as a very high-tech hospital, but we’re concentrated on creating an appealing environment for our patients as well,” he said. “This is a very family-friendly hospital.”
Beginning as a 180-bed facility (120 ward beds, 60 private), St. Anthony Central Hospital opened in 1892 near the shore of Sloan’s Lake in Denver. It was built in part through money collected by nuns who would stand outside Denver saloons taking donations from railroad workers. It was enlarged just after the First World War, when it increased the number of beds to 200. A nursing school was opened in 1919 and a convent was built in 1921. Additional wings were added in 1962, ‘64 and ‘65. In 1972, Flight for Life—the first civilian helicopter ambulance service in the nation—arrived at the hospital.
The first academy for EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) and paramedics was started in 1974 and three years later, the hospital opened Trauma Room 10 (T-10), designed to drastically cut time between bringing a patient into the emergency room, then transporting them to the operating room. Since the trauma room opened, statistics show that T-10 recovery rates have climbed while fatality rates have continued to decline.
St. Anthony Hospital has always been at the forefront in the fields of orthopedics, trauma, cardiovascular care and neurosciences, administrators said. Maintaining the most up-to-date standards in health care is an integral part of St. Anthony’s operation, but certainly not its only concern. From the earliest planning stages, designers examined every aspect of operation to determine the maximum efficiency that could be implemented—“smart building” technology designed to reduce energy usage and maintenance costs.
The facility is the first in the state to implement a removal system, which automates the entire waste handling process thus reducing infection risks and manual labor. Other amenities include a water system that oversees usage and cuts usage by 20 percent; an “intelligent” monitoring system designed to reduce energy usage and maintenance costs; sensors which can turn off lights in a room when activity ceases; a system that monitors all heating and cooling functions, and a message system that can notify building managers when something isn’t working at peak efficiency. The roof and site surface materials are designed to minimize glare within patient rooms and all exterior lighting focuses downward to minimize neighborhood light pollution.
The new St. Anthony Hospital is located at 11600 W. Second Place in Lakewood. Entrance to the grounds can be made from either West Alameda Avenue or South Union Street. Complete information about the hospital can be found online at www.stanthonycentral.org.
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