Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital

Eskenazi Health, formerly Wishard Health Services, is one of the nation’s top five safety net hospitals serving residents of central Indiana. This teaching facility is a Level 1 trauma center and serves as the state’s regional Burn Center.

In 2002, BSA LifeStructures prepared a master plan with a focus on determining the most appropriate site for the replacement hospital. Once the location was determined, operational and transition planning services began in March 2011, and the engagement was completed in September 2012. Eskenazi Health had challenges to overcome, which included ensuring design principles were kept with the new workflows, especially around the patient experience, patient room turnover, admission processes and security practices, and staffing.

A complete hospital replacement of campus facilities was accomplished in December 2013. BSA LifeStructures worked with leadership, departmentally and cross-functionally, in order to move staff from “current state” to “future state”, bring drawings to life, document all processes and flows, ensure the original intent of the project is carried through to operations and provide Day 1 readiness with patient safety in mind.

The campus features approximately 1.3 million square feet of facilities, including a 315-bed inpatient hospital, 19 operating rooms, four interventional labs, 12 labor and delivery rooms, a 90-bed emergency department with a 20-bed clinical decision unit, and an ambulatory clinic with more than 200 exam rooms.

Early on, the team decided to focus on air quality in an effort to improve the health of patients and staff, using 100% outside air for the ambulatory care building and hospital. The system draws in air, which is treated, conditioned, filtered, and used once before it exits the building. This helps reduce the risk of infection or other contaminants.

In addition, a displacement ventilation air system in the atrium lobby helps reduce energy needs by introducing large amounts of air at low levels, bringing it closer to the occupants and at the desired temperature before the air stratifies with higher temperatures toward the ceiling.

The project also includes a faculty and research facility housing offices for Eskenazi Health’s physicians, 99% of whom are on the IU School of Medicine Faculty, as well as administrative offices and research areas. A campus Master Plan was completed by BSA LifeStructures in 2002, which informed and preceded planning and design by HOK architects.

“BSA LifeStructures was one of the only design team members to remain a constant and continuing partner through the design, construction, and occupancy of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital. Their engineering team was specifically invaluable in the resolution of normal operational concerns that initially arose as we occupied and continue to serve the organization faithfully to this day.”

Thomas Ringham, Retired, Former Assoc. VP of Facilities
Eskenazi Health