Why Is Healthcare Facility Construction So Expensive?

One of the most challenging environments where evacuation chairs and stretchers can be found are in disaster zones. Extracting a disabled or severely injured person from a fire or a building in danger of collapse can call for specialist carrying equipment. Rescue crews are often faced with injured people who are in danger from burning debris, falling masonry or lifts out of action and precautions need to be ta en to ensure they!re safe during transit. "his means both from the injuries they have sustained and the environment they currently find themselves in. Stretchers One of the most popular stretchers for evacuating people from danger is the #eil Robertson stretcher. "his has a number of features that have made it a favourite with the building and mining industries, Royal and $erchant #avies and rescue services internationally. %ts design combines spliced slats the ma e it light and easy to transport, surrounded by a tough cotton exterior, in which, to carry the patient. "he strong supportive head restraint ma es it ideal for vertical lifting and it comes with heavy&duty ropes that will confidently hold casualties when raised. "he stretcher beds is another great aid in rescue recovery' it is light and strong, while the addition of four legs with two wheels on the front ma es it easy to manoeuvre around tight or restrictive spaces. %t can also serve as a temporary bed while the patient is being assessed on site. Escape Chair $any medical facilities house patients who are receiving critical services. (ecause of the critical nature of these services the individual patient may not be able to adequately care for themselves in fire, emergency or other threatening situation. )et!s start our tour at the main entrance. Often, you can pull the car, van or ambulance right up to the front entrance under a large canopy or the porte cochere. "his canopy or porte cochere is typically equipped with sprin lers, special lighting and designed for the loading and unloading of the handicapped. *or medical buildings, there are often two porte cochere, one for the general public and one for patient transfer. %f we ta e a moment to wal around the building, before going inside we might also notice windows enveloping each floor +windows for each patient room,, extra wide sidewal s, multiple handicapped par ing spaces

and access points, handicap van or ambulance throughway and par ing and covered or reserved par ing for physicians. %n addition, we might find an oxygen tan and other medical gases for delivery of these gases to patient room or surgery suites. $edical gases delivered to patient rooms and or surgery suites are a very unique feature almost exclusive to medical facilities. -s we step into the main lobby there are li ely to be two elevators types, one for public use and one for transporting patients. - patient designed elevator must accommodate a gurney or stretcher and often opens to the front and the bac . .ince patient elevators open to the front and the bac , space needs are greater than a typical passenger elevator. Exit corridors off the patient elevator to the patient oriented porte cochere are common in healthcare facilities. %n a well designed, well operated, medical building you will rarely see a patient rolled out on a stretcher through a main lobby or public hallway. -s we stand in the main lobby and loo up or down we might also see safety lighting features, special ceiling tiles, and large number of sprin ler heads, specially designed flooring and even bacterial resistant window coverings.%n today!s healthcare environment, the patient and family expect and even assume the facility will be state of the art but user friendly, convenient and comfortable/