Patients are being moved into the new expansion at Baptist Health hospital in Lexington.
Inside the new north tower of Baptist Health on Wednesday morning, medical staff began moving in patients, excited doctors and nurses visited with people in their care and showed off new state-of-the-art private rooms and families gathered in the shiny, light-filled waiting room complete with comfy chairs and oversized couches. Karen Hill, Chief Operating Officer at Baptist Health said the bright and open design isn’t just for aesthetics, it’s part of the hospital’s mission of ultimate health and healing. “Light is healing. It helps people be oriented to day and night which is important when you’re in the hospital, sometimes you lose track of time. So it was very important. It’s important for our staff. We want our staff to feel like that there’s an openness and just to have that sort of comfort from the sunshine. We also put patios at the end of every one of our floors and that’s going to be a big positive for our patients and their families because the patients, if they’re able, can walk to the patio and get a breath of fresh air and still be watched and monitored by the staff”
The nearly five-year expansion project came in under budget at $240 million and includes new ICU and obstetrics units. And there’s another perk. Parking and valet service is free. If you have a doctor’s appointment, they’ll even call when you’re done and make sure your car is waiting at the main entrance when you leave.