Hospitals on the move: modern mobility solutions support efficient, responsive care
Any project related to healthcare bears a huge responsibility. In short, equipment cannot fail. This also holds true for in-house mobility solutions. We look at modernized and some brand-new hospitals on the frontline benefiting from cutting-edge technology in elevators and escalators.
Many hospitals at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic needed to hit the ground running and adapt rapidly to huge patient numbers, higher demands on its resources, as well as stricter hygiene regulations. Whether on a new wing dedicated to COVID-19 patients or a modernization project, hospitals could not afford to disrupt operations. Modern mobility solutions prove critical in hospitals where every second counts. TK Elevator is able to support hospitals by ensuring fast, secure, and reliable mobility services with modern elevators and escalators, state-of-the-art digital solutions, and excellent maintenance services. We look at some great examples, and some record-breaking response and installation times by engineers and technicians.
Instituto Doutor José Frota, Fortaleza, Brazil
The hospital planned on opening a new floor in its second unit dedicated solely to treating COVID-19 patients. In just thirty-seven days, technicians installed a stretcher-capable elevator, which was up and running immediately. Four more elevators are in the works for this project, further boosting high accessibility and seamless mobility.
Verduno Hospital, Italy
This hospital, located in the Piedmont region of Italy and at the heart of one of the pandemic’s worst-hit regions, rushed to open in time to treat the burgeoning number of COVID-19 patients. Dedicated TK Elevator technicians did their part and lived and slept in the unfinished hospital for ten days in order to install 25 elevators in less than two weeks! The hospital was able to begin operations six months earlier than planned.
University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, USA
A groundbreaking new inpatient hospital deserves groundbreaking mobility solutions to keep pace. The 34 elevators and 2 escalators will also include a new series of elevator enhancers, AGILE, as well as its predictive maintenance solution, MAX. Each unit will also meet LEED v4 Gold certification standards.
Prince Hamzeh Hospital, Amman, Jordan
The main quarantine center in Amman, this hospital plays a key role in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. Smooth operations, little downtime, and no bottlenecks are essential to providing the best services. Thirteen elevators help ensure ease of mobility, supported by thyssenkrupp Elevator service technicians, who, in full protective gear, continued throughout the pandemic to be on-site and respond to calls.
Nirali Hospital, Surat, India
Installing elevators in this hospital, a key cancer care facility in the region, had the highest priority. Yet, lockdown placed new restrictions, the landing header had to be picked up in Mumbai, and power outages threatened to hold up progress! Luckily, experienced technicians completed the elevator installation, which normally takes sixty days, in just eleven days.
Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
In the heart of Istanbul, this hospital opened a critical response unit to treat and care for COVID-19 patients in April 2020 at the height of the first wave of the pandemic. The hospital, which has been renovated with seismic base technology and green building concepts, benefits from 23 elevators and 6 escalators which will help deliver uninterrupted service and care.
CUF Tejo Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal
The physical plant of this multi-purpose hospital, which focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating the diseases of the future, comprises many sites and levels. Our 23 mobility solutions, including 19 elevators and 3 hybrids solutions, help facilitate ease of passage throughout the facility.
Posco Songdo Medical Center (Cancer Treatment Building), Songdo South Korea
Located at the heart of South Korea’s renowned smart city, this hospital provides some of the best care for cancer patients in South Korea. Mobility reliability and accessibility to this high-volume facility were recently upgraded with the installation of 23 elevators and 4 escalators.
University of Health Tower Hospital, Miami, USA
The massive modernization of one of South Florida hospital’s busiest hospitals needed to go forward with as little disruption to operations as possible. It took only seven months to add new controllers, machines, governors, rollers, door equipment, hall fixtures, car and hall fixtures, as well as car doors.
Plus, the newly added AGILE Destination Controls system has further improved passenger wait times, and top-notch service by TK Elevator technicians will continue to ensure smooth operations throughout all 20 medical buildings on campus.
Image Credits
University of Pennsylvania Health System, video by Penn Medicine
Nirali Hospital, picture by Nirali A M Naik Charitable Health-Care Facility, taken from commons.wikimedia.org, Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
CUF Tejo Hospital, video by CUF