Nurture | Dealer Dose

Victoria, BC - With the recent completion of the Victoria General Hospital Emergency Department, Nurture dealer Graphic Office Interiors (GOI) demonstrated the importance of building a positive relationship with the client, Vancouver Island Health Authority, and the architect, Kirsten Reite of CEI Architecture.

During the expansion project CEI Architecture requested that Nurture dealer Graphic Office Interiors be engaged as a consultant for the development of the design of various areas of the department, including the Nurse Control Station. CEI knew they needed an experienced furniture vendor who could listen and suggest applications that would meet the needs of the ED's end users.

The project architects had full control over the performance specifications, design details, and equipment requirements for the new ED. Thanks to their relationship with Steve Nagy of GOI, they also viewed the dealer as a resource who could help them work through ideas that supported the input of the users. Many user engagement meetings resulted in a solution that meets the clinical, visibility, privacy, technology, and storage needs expressed by the ED team. Ergonomic support has also been named a priority for the team in the round-the-clock environment that is normal for an emergency room.

Steve worked closely with the architectural team to develop a nurse hub that was open with good sightlines, so staff could move through and around the station, had the ability to support their technology and medical files, and had easy ergonomic adjustment. The solution also included special casegoods that met the demanding infection control requirements of the hospital.

By working with GOI as a resource to guide the design, the architect was able to create an aesthetically pleasing, yet completely functional nurse hub that was unlike anything the staff had worked in before.

The final solution included Post & Beam, Airtouch, Details FYI Arms, Universal Worksurfaces, Universal Peds, and Lab Crafters Storage.

Many of you reading this article may wonder "why not use Sync?" The simple answer is the Victoria Hospital timeline and schedule was underway while Sync was still in development and prior to its introduction. When the architect finally saw Sync, they instantly knew what the product was trying to achieve and have used Sync in subsequent projects.

Meanwhile, Victoria General Hospital is very happy with their new ED, and Steve has described this as an excellent example of how Nurture Research Insights combined with product applications that directly supported those insights made for a very successful project.