<< Previous   of   Next >> SCBJ Freelance Photo by M.L. Dehm  (click to enlarge) SCBJ Photographer M .L. Dehm  (click to enlarge) Second floor view offers a new perspective at Arlington's newly opened Cascade Valley Hospital. SCBJ Photo by Freelance Photographer M. L. Dehm  (click to enlarge) This modern, enlarged room is one of several in the expanded emergency room at Cascade Valley Hospital, proving a major improvement in health care. SCBJ Photo by Freelance Photographer M. L. Dehm  (click to enlarge) Cascade Valley Hospital's popular cafe has been modernized and expanded in the new hospital renovation.

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Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service

By M.L. Dehm
SCBJ Freelance Writer

It's been busy over at Cascade Valley Hospital & Clinics in Arlington for the last few months. But that activity is due to more than just annual cold and flu season.

For a start, the organization celebrated its 100th birthday just a few months back. Several events marked that notable occasion.

Next, even before opening the doors of the hospital's new three-story expansion, the organization was honored with a national award. It was designated a “five-star” facility by Cleverley and Associates, a national medical facility rating agency, and named to the Top 100 Hospitals list in the Community Value index.

To top it off, on Feb. 1 the doors officially opened on the new $46 million expansion that's designed to provide even better care for the hospital's 70,000 patient visits a year, as well as providing space to manage care for future growth. “It just doesn't get any better than this,” said long-time Hospital Administrator Clark Jones.

The hospital's success has to be reassuring for the people of Arlington too. In May 2007, voters approved a $46 million bond issue to support the expansion project — a considerable sum even in the days before the current recession.

Knowing how easily the bond could have been rejected, Cascade Valley has taken great pains to use the funds well. The entire expansion that the voters approved and paid for is solely patient and community focused. There are no administrative offices in this new wing. Everything that the bond supplied benefits those who use it and not those who run it.

New emergency room a major improvement

A major concern that swayed the voters was the need for an updated emergency room in Arlington. The original emergency room had only six beds and little privacy other than curtains. There wasn't a designated place for emergency room patients to sit either. The old waiting room was for general use. Someone could be waiting for a scheduled mammogram with the radiology department and find themselves next to someone burning up with fever waiting to be seen in the nearby emergency room.

The new expansion now offers a separate entrance where emergency room patients can enter and the designated emergency waiting room offers some separation from the rest of the patients as well as more privacy.

From just six beds in the old emergency room, Cascade Valley now offers 16. The rooms are very private. Each has a door that can be closed and care has been taken to make the rooms warm and inviting. There is even a room equipped and decorated more for children.

“I was a patient in the old emergency room myself not too long ago and I would have really appreciated what we have now,” said Community Relations Director Kelly Penny. “The care was awesome but now the new emergency room matches the care.”

Another special addition to the emergency ward is a special “quiet room.” Designated for those that may be experiencing psychotic episodes or other issues, it is safer for both the patient and the staff.
In the quiet room of the ER, a security grate can be pulled across the area behind the bed that houses medical equipment and monitors so they can't be pushed or tipped over.

One-way glass allows medical staff to watch a psychotic or violent patient without causing the patient any unease that might exacerbate the condition. There are no open light sockets or switches that might enable patients to harm themselves. The door to the room opens only from the outside.

“We also have a couple of triage rooms,” Penny added.

The hope is that with so many beds now available, people won't have a long wait in the waiting room. But for those busy times, the triage rooms allow staff to take patients back, evaluate them, and make informed decisions about who should be seen first.

Another innovation for the hospital is a critical decision unit. It's a place for those emergency room patients who may or may not be admitted but who must stay for several hours for observation, testing or other reasons.

Those patients can include people being monitored for a potential heart attack. If it is a heart attack, something that can take many hours to diagnose, the patient would immediately be admitted into the hospital. Should test results be negative, they may be released. This critical decision monitoring space frees up emergency room cubicles while still allowing patients a space to wait or recover.

The main focus of the new expansion is on outpatient services. With the way that insurance companies pay nowadays, there is a larger demand for outpatient services and the expansion addresses that.

A new imaging department has a separate private waiting area for patients in for services such as mammograms, CT scans and more. Ultrasound rooms are thoughtfully placed next to restrooms for those patients who must have a full bladder during their scan. In fact, restrooms are quite generously dotted throughout the new facility.

A new fluoroscopy unit comes with a brand new state-of-the-art fluoroscopy machine. All imaging is now digital so there are no more films to take up space. Digital images are also far easier to access.

There is a conveniently located lab “draw station” on one of the lower floors as well. Rather than go to the lab itself which is located on the top floor, patients can have their blood drawn by a technician and the sample is sent to the lab in a pneumatic delivery tube similar to those used by drive-up banks. The lab itself is a third larger than the old one and the staff are pleased with its cutting edge amenities.

The oncology unit has also expanded. There are eight comfortable armchairs for patients having chemotherapy. The desk area for oncology medical staff is open to the room so that the patients can be within sight of medical staff at all times. Chemotherapy drugs are mixed in a special sealed area of the new pharmacy. The pharmacy is spacious and also includes a special lock-down room for narcotics.

As impressive as all of these new areas are, what will be most obvious to the eyes of visitors is a soaring two-story entry area that features lots of glass and open space. A large revolving door brings visitors in. They can either go to the reception desk or find a seat to the right, where a fireplace is the main focal point.

“You can get a latte and sit down by the fire,” Penny said.

To the left of the door is a staircase leading up to the second story, with elevators also available nearby. The open loft area is the site of the new hospital café. It is four times larger than the old café space and all done in hygienic stainless steel. According to Penny, the café workers are excited about the new space and new equipment.

From the café loft, there are spectacular views both inside and out. The window next to the café features a bright stained glass mural. The ceiling has open rough finished beams that complement the northwest theme.

A little further along the upstairs corridor is access to the Hospital Foundation's roof garden. The Asian-themed garden was funded by a sale of tiles. These outdoor floor tiles bear names and messages from donators. Benches look like fallen logs and a central fountain is a Japanese-style water well.

Another roof top space turned into art is just outside the reflection room or chapel. A wide overhang visible from the window has been adorned with a rock and sand Zen garden. It's just another of the artistic touches that give patients and families something pleasing to look at while they wait.

Overall, the attention to detail in the new building is impressive, especially visual detail. Over 100 pieces of art by local artists are scattered throughout the facility. Assistant administrator Heather Logan headed up a committee to select the art. It was this committee that insisted that all works come from local artists.

“We didn't feel good about taking money from local taxpayers then buying the art from somewhere else,” Logan said “The majority of it is in public display and we really hope that people will come and see it (even) when they're healthy.”

Some of the art is located in areas that people might only see when they are sick or having a test or treatment. A very noticeable and identifiable standout is a large Northwest theme mural by Arlington's Harry Engstrom, displayed opposite the elevators.

Overall, Logan was impressed with the dedication of those volunteers on the art committee and found the experience of selecting the art very rewarding. In fact, everyone at the hospital seems more than satisfied with the recent expansion and the recent honors that have been coming their way. Probably no one is more satisfied than Jones.

“We just completed two of the most successful years in our history. We are very strong financially, have good cash reserves and little debt. Our quality measures are high as is our patient satisfaction,” Jones said.

If the original hospital founder, Dr. J.E. Harris, could see the facility now, a hundred years later, he would probably feel great satisfaction too. As for the future, the staff doesn't plan to sit around for long. A complete renovation of the older building is due to begin soon while the oldest building on the site will be removed to expand parking.