Kentfield Rehabilitation & Specialty Hospital

Simone Adams

Note: Each issue of Marin Medicine includes a self-reported update from one local hospital or clinic, on a rotating basis.

Kentfield Rehabilitation & Specialty Hospital is excited to announce that renovation of its physical plant is scheduled to begin this spring. The long-awaited $9 million facelift will encompass the entire hospital and will add both cosmetic improvements and technological advancements.

Kentfield Hospital has been a key component of Marin County’s healthcare continuum for nearly four decades. Initially operating as an acute rehab hospital, it transitioned into a specialty hospital for long-term acute care in 1999, focusing on medically complex patients who require extended hospitalization. The hospital’s specialty programs include pulmonary disease, complex wound care and neurologic rehabilitation. Several full-time internists work as dedicated hospitalists at the facility, along with specialists in critical care, physiatry, cardiology, infectious disease, plastics, orthopedics and nephrology, to name a few.

According to CEO Ann Gors, the renovation plan has been in the works for the past five years. “The hospital has a proven track record of being financially stable,” she said, “so we have reached a point where the investment makes sense.” Ever since the hospital was purchased by Vibra Healthcare in 2003, the focus has been on quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and growing core programs as a means to enhance services and improve the hospital’s financial position. As Gors explained, the doctors, nurses and ancillary staff have successfully implemented these core values, so they’re ready for the next step. She noted, “We are all extremely proud and excited about this project and what it will mean for our patients in the near future.”

The cosmetic renovations will include upgrades to all common areas and patient rooms, including new floors, windows, furniture and casework. The design theme will focus on repeating the beautiful colors and landscape of Marin County, as well as the craftsman architectural elements of the building’s exterior. Natural textures and tones will be used extensively throughout the updated spaces to add a calm, Zen-like atmosphere and promote a healing environment.

Patient rooms will be enhanced with the addition of ceiling-mounted lift systems to promote safe patient handling. The rooms will be opened up with enlarged windows, built-in casework and updated lighting. The new headwalls will incorporate track systems to better manage and store equipment at the bedside for easy access for patients and medical staff.

Technical advancements planned for the remodel include the addition of a wireless telemetry monitoring system. Chief of Staff Dr. Kip Roebken observed, “This expanded capability will allow our physicians to closely monitor patients newly admitted to the hospital or those patients at highest risk for a change of condition. It will be an excellent tool for enhanced medical monitoring for the complicated patient.”

Additionally, the hospital will add a state-of-the-art nurse call system that will integrate with wireless phones to be provisioned to all clinical staff. A middleware technology will forward all alerts, both routine and critical, directly to a handset assigned to staff members. With this new system, the nurse assigned will be able to speak to their patient directly from a handset to a bedside speaker and immediately assess a patient’s needs. The system will also relay alarms from critical medical equipment--such as ventilators, IV pumps and oximeters--to the appropriate staff member, creating an enhanced safety net for both patients and medical staff. As Chief Clinical Officer Denise Mace explained, “Kentfield Hospital will be the first specialty hospital in California to implement this new technology; it is a huge step forward in patient satisfaction and safety.”

Along with the high-tech enhancements, Kentfield will also be updating its infrastructure. A much-needed bulk oxygen/medical gas delivery system is on this list as well as a new phone system. The hospital will also be rewiring all voice and data cables in preparation for full electronic medical records, as well as capability for future technologies. Some of the space within the present footprint will be reallocated to pharmacy and other critical departments, and the nurse stations will be expanded for a more ergonomic flow. The therapy treatment area will also be expanded with an addition of new kitchen and bath facilities that will help prepare patients for the transition home or the next level of care.

Physiatrist Dr. Deborah Doherty has been medical director of the hospital for the past 25 years and oversees the hospital’s Neuro Rehab Program along with internist Dr. Susan Waters. “With this addition,” noted Dr. Doherty, “Kentfield Hospital will be specifically designed to meet the rehabilitative needs of catastrophic rehab patients from a physical plant perspective. We have always had the medical expertise, and I am ecstatic that the hospital is investing in the physical environment to best manage my patients.”

Renovation will begin in March and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2013. During the construction period, the hospital will continue to focus on its core values as a means to successfully navigate the transition. Although occupancy will be impacted somewhat during this time, the hospital will continue operations as usual through careful phasing of the construction process.

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Ms. Adams is communications director for Kentfield Rehabilitation & Specialty Hospital.

Email: sadams@kentfieldrehab.com