Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital upgrades cafeteria, unit

Patients, staff and visitors at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg likely are noticing a few changes.

Staff members had input in some of those changes, from the contents of bedside carts in the relocated short stay unit to the redesign of the hospital cafe, spokeswoman Robin Jennings said.

The Side Street Cafe opened Aug. 21 and aims for more of a restaurant feel.

“This is an entire cafeteria makeover,” Jennings said.

The spacious, brightly lit eatery has small and large table settings, counter-style seating and booths.

Patrons can choose from a lengthy list of coffee drinks, smoothies and pastries or from a rotating menu of entrees, an enhanced salad bar and a touchscreen, customized drink fountain.

Food service is available between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily, but the cafe remains open round-the-clock.

Staff members who bring their own meals or visitors using nearby vending machines can access the space for a break after hours, Jennings said.

On Wednesday afternoon, a group of nursing students gathered at a long table, paperwork spread out in front of them.

In a nod to evolving technology, elevated flat screens advertise the various stations' meal choices, broadcast the news and list daily hospital class times and locations. Charging stations allow staff and visitors to power their electronic devices.

Three classrooms added off the main dining area are equipped with advanced technology, including Smart Boards, and speakers and microphones imbedded in the ceilings.

“You have to be trained to use this equipment. The screens can be annotated on. We have a lot of audio conferencing,” Jennings said.

The rooms' location allows for private dining for leadership teams, board of trustee or consultant meetings, she said.

Also on Wednesday, the hospital held an open house for the relaunch of its short stay unit, which opens Oct. 5.

Peggy McGowan, vice president of Excela Health operations, said the unit was relocated from the sixth to the first floor, and its capacity was expanded from 18 to 25 beds.

The change, which precedes a planned Intensive Care Unit expansion, offers patients private rooms.

“In this environment, patients and families can stay together as long as they need to,” McGowan said.

A special procedure room and four anesthesia blocking rooms were added, a procedure previously done on the higher, more crowded floor before patients were taken into surgery.

Staff input included placement of patient monitors so that they are not “in patients' faces” or in the middle of the room, McGowan said.

The dark green and cream walls of the waiting area, just off the hospital lobby, lead to patient rooms, three nurses' stations and a snack center for families and recovering patients.

Tracey Smeltzer, nurse manager, said staff members chose the bedside carts and their contents, from denture cups to bandages and oxygen masks.

“They hold pretty much everything we need to care for patients. We don't have to walk back and forth for supplies,” she said.

Technology improvements include wall-mounted flat screen monitors that assign families numbers so they can track a patient moving from operating room to recovery.

Two private consult rooms can be accessed from the waiting area, where physicians can meet or Skype with families post-surgery.

Discharged patients can exit past the chapel, into the lobby and directly to their vehicles.

Waiting families can step outside or visit the cafe, one floor below, Smeltzer said.

“It's a very patient- and family-friendly unit, I think,” she said.

Mary Pickels is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-836-5401 or mpickels@tribweb.com.