Riley’s New Simon Family Tower Designed with Functionality in Mind

INDIANAPOLIS – If you’re one of the many patients, family members or visitors who find hospitals difficult to navigate, there’s good news to report in Indianapolis. When the first phase of the new Riley Hospital for Children Simon Family Tower at Indiana University opens in January, Hoosier children and their families will find a facility specifically designed for them.

“One of the first things people will notice about the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health is its layout and how much easier it is to get around,” said Donnie Reed, director of operations, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. “Riley has been expanded several times over the decades, but the end result has been a grouping of connected but sometimes disjointed buildings.”

Now patients and families in the Simon Family Tower will find floors identical in design – each shaped like a “V” with rooms divided into east and west wings and grouped together according to specialty. Glass design, paint and artwork also change from wing to wing and floor to floor, to help with wayfinding.

Another noticeable change in the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health will be separate pathways for patients, the public and hospital staff, all of which help to improve the overall patient experience, increase patient privacy and control infection. The new helipad on top of the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health is an example. An elevator will connect directly into the Emergency Department, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Operating Room, providing direct access to critical care areas without the need to travel through public corridors or encounter the general public.

“Years of thought and planning went into the design of the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health,” said Melanie Cline, activation director, Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health and clinical director, Riley Hospital for Children. “We knew we had an opportunity to create a space truly centered on the needs of our patients – one that supports and optimizes our operations and also gives us the flexibility we need to be able to adapt as we move into the future.”

Lean engineering was key in determining how to set up operations within the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health in an efficient and cost effective manner. Particular attention was paid to the supply and inventory process in the building to make sure staff had access to the right item at the right time in the right place.

“Riley is already acknowledged as the expert on pediatric care in Indiana, but now we’re proud that we have the new facilities that best support our skill, dedication and compassion towards patients and families,” said Dan Fink, president and CEO, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.

On January 27, 2011, inpatient units on floors seven, eight and nine, will open in the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health. The new 10-story, 675,000 square-foot project is designed to add capacity, increase efficiency and enhance patient satisfaction at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.

Construction on the Riley Simon Family Tower at IU Health began in the summer of 2006. In November 2007, the Simon family announced a $40 million gift toward the completion of the project. Economic conditions temporarily halted the project in early 2009 and work re-started in early 2010. Construction is scheduled for completion in the winter of 2013.