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Medical Construction & Design | M AY/ J U N E 2017 | MCDM AG.COM
Totaling approximately 522,000
square feet, the new facility includes a
263,000-square-foot inpatient community
hospital, 289,000-square-foot clinic, cen-
tral energy plant, ambulance garage and
parking for 1,600 vehicles.
A campus for warriors in transition
A key factor in the development of the
world-class methodology was the recog-
nition that recovering soldiers do better
when surrounded by family. When choos-
ing a site and layout for the new hospi-
tal, the design team put great emphasis
on how warriors in transition and their
families access, experience and use the
facility.
The Army launched Warrior Transition
Units in 2007 to provide personalized sup-
port to wounded, ill and injured soldiers.
"The purpose of WTUs is to heal the
soldier and determine what is best —
whether to return to the Army unit or
prepare for civilian life," says Cranmer.
The new IACH welcomes Warriors
in Transition into the care community
of Fort Riley, forming a link between the
WTU barracks and the adjacent Whitside
Fitness Center. A pedestrian bridge
connects the hospital with the barracks,
allowing soldiers to access the hospital
without changing elevation. Once enter-
ing, they can access care in the hospital,
or use its central circulation corridor as a
pass-through to the fi tness center on the
other side.
The Warrior in Transition Bridge
"created a really nice campus eff ect," says
Cranmer. "It used to be quite a walk [from
the barracks], and now we're here together
on one campus."
Getting around the clinic
Another challenge facing patients in
the previous hospital was wayfi nding.
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