Investing in our hospital to improve quality and safety

Lancaster General Health continued investing in the future of healthcare in downtown Lancaster by breaking ground on a six-story expansion of Lancaster General Hospital. The $60 million project will enable the hospital to provide all private patient rooms.

Single-patient rooms have become the industry standard in new construction of acute-care facilities in the United States. Private rooms reduce the possibilities for infection, facilitate nurses’ and healthcare workers’ ability to do their jobs efficiently, provide adequate spaces for family members to participate in the healing process of the patients, and afford a greater measure of privacy for the delivery of bedside treatments and for sensitive discussions with healthcare personnel.

Private-room design also reduces noise levels and traffic in and out of patient rooms and contributes to a reduction in patient stress levels, which in turn results in faster healing time for patients.

Among LGH’s current 533 inpatient beds, 142 are located in semi-private rooms. LG Health will expand onto the northeast corner of the hospital, near Lime and Frederick streets.

As medical technology advances, hospital rooms must be larger to accommodate larger equipment, advanced technology and family-centered care. Larger rooms also make it easier and more convenient for visitors and can provide space for overnight guests.

The new patient wing, which will rise a total of eight stories, will contain 66 new private inpatient rooms and space for additional rooms for future use as demand requires. As these rooms become available to patients, the current 71 semi-private rooms in other hospital buildings will be converted to private rooms or other facilities. The overall number of beds at LGH will remain the same as today.

LGH will gain space for offices and other medical uses, and there will be additional space ready for 80 new beds as needed in the future.