Dear Minot Community and the Region-at-Large:

In September 2018, we broke ground on the Trinity Health healthcare campus and medical district and simultaneously launched our “Making More Possible” brand. Both activities were key parts of our strategic plan to transform the delivery of healthcare in northwest North Dakota.

For the fourth letter in our series about the future of healthcare in the region, I’d like to focus on the design elements needed to create a 21st century medical facility that maximizes patient safety, comfort, and privacy.

Research tells us twenty-first century hospitals are more patient-centered and holistic in their design than facilities constructed more than 100 years ago. Studies continue to show that healthcare facilities designed around the needs of patients, families, and staff improve healthcare outcomes, resulting in:

• Reduced patient stress and anxiety
• Fewer hospital-acquired infections
• More efficient workflow patterns and processes
• Greater patient satisfaction
• Increased patient safety
• Greater privacy and noise reduction

From the beginning of this project, Trinity Health frontline staff members and providers worked alongside architects and contractors to make sure plans matched the reality of patient care.
The collaboration resulted in a fully integrated design that enables clinical practices, information, and technology to come together and provide superior medical care.

The best example of this concept is the inpatient hospital room. All patient rooms are same-sided, meaning every room is entered on the right-hand side of the patient. Physicians and staff will encounter the same distribution, layout, and lighting in every room. This standardization makes routine tasks simpler and significantly reduces the risk of errors by staff.

Other examples of patient-centered design elements include:

• 100% of patient rooms are private.
• An abundant use of natural light throughout the facility.
• Innovative interior design techniques were used to make wayfinding easier.
• A dedicated patient lounge was created so patients and families can exit the hospital privately, and not through the hospital’s main entrance.
• The “Front of House” and “Back of House” design concept was incorporated so service functions and patient transport are hidden from public view.

When combined with the latest technology and a team of experts, our experience-focused planning will make the Trinity Health healthcare campus and medical district the embodiment of modern medicine. More importantly though, our employees will bring our founders’ commitment to personalized, rural, community-based healthcare to the new facility where we will serve the region for another 100+ years.

In our final letter, I’ll announce details of when and how we will open the new facility and show you how years of planning and hard work will Make More Possible for the next generation of our patients and providers.