Morton Plant Hospital Opens New Women’s Unit as First Phase of Doyle Women’s & Children’s Health Initiative
Spa-inspired design focuses on family-centered care and private rooms

As part of an ongoing mission to provide the best quality family-centered health care to women, Morton Plant Hospital is opening a new women’s unit to serve women’s gynecology and medical surgical needs. Opened for patients on April 19, 2010, the new unit is focused on women’s needs by providing a tranquil, serene environment.

The new women’s unit is the first phase of a larger project on the Morton Plant Hospital campus. Called the Doyle Women’s and Children’s Health Initiative, the $50 million project will result in the consolidation of women’s services including the Sarah Walker Women’s Center. Construction is scheduled to begin next year on the Sarah Walker Women’s Center which will be part of the initiative and offers the OB assessment unit, labor and delivery rooms, post partum rooms and neonatal intensive care unit.

“We are so grateful to Roz Doyle and her family for their interest in women’s health care in the Clearwater and North Pinellas communities,” said Holly Duncan, president of the Morton Plant Mease Foundation. “It will provide us with the foundation to deliver leading-edge health services that help women and their families achieve a lifetime of well-being.”

About the New Women’s Medical Surgical Unit
“The intention was to create a peaceful, healing environment designed by women for women and their loved ones so they would feel more at ease during their hospital stay, but we also designed this unit so that staff can provide the optimal level of quality care,” said Hal Ziecheck, chief operating officer of Morton Plant Hospital.

The walls are painted soft, natural colors of beige and green with warm wood grain patterns on the floor and ceiling. The hall leading to the 20-bed unit is adorned by a stone serenity wall. The décor also includes frosted glass fixtures and pendant lighting above the nurses’ station.

The women’s unit was designed for family-centered care, featuring all private rooms. Each room features comfortable seating for visiting family as well as a workstation for visitors to set up a laptop computer, etc. A visitor’s lounge is also available including a TV, coffee, comfortable chairs and ottomans.

“Environment is important to the quality of a patient’s recovery. If patients are in a place that creates a feeling of peace and comfort while surrounded by family, they can have a better outlook which promotes healing,” said Marcia Albanese, director of Women’s and Children’s Services, Morton Plant Mease Health Care.

The architect for the project was Harvard Jolly, Inc. of Tampa, FL. The contractor was Diaz Fritz Isabel, also of Tampa.
 
For more information, please call (727) 953-6877.

About Morton Plant Hospital
Established in 1916, Morton Plant Hospital is a 687-bed facility. Our commitment to improving the health of everyone we serve is reflected in our community partnerships and many honors. Morton Plant is the only hospital in the United States to have been awarded Top 100 Hospital designations by the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success for all 11 years. Morton Plant also has partnered with H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute at the University of South Florida, Tampa to provide research and services for cancer patients. In 2008, the hospital was awarded Magnet Designation for the second time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the most prestigious national recognition of excellence in nursing care. Morton Plant Hospital is located at 300 Pinellas Street, Clearwater, Fla.