Lankenau Medical Center Breaks Ground on $529 Million Renovation Including New Pavilion for Heart, Vascular and Lung Care, Advancing Its Position as a Regional Leader in Healthcare

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Oct 27, 2010, 10:30 ET

New name, Lankenau Medical Center, reflects continued excellence in patient care, clinical research and medical education

WYNNEWOOD, Pa., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lankenau Medical Center broke ground today on a new state-of-the-art Patient Pavilion for heart, vascular and lung care, the cornerstone of a $529 million investment in its 92-acre campus.

Lankenau, now in its 150th anniversary year, has long delivered pioneering medical solutions including leading-edge capabilities in minimally invasive and robotic heart surgery and advanced treatment options for cancer, while leading or participating in worldwide research trials for cancer and cardiac care. Reflecting its history as well as its future, Lankenau Hospital joins its sister institutions -- Lankenau Institute for Medical Research and the Annenberg Center for Medical Education -- to form the newly designated Lankenau Medical Center.

Jack Lynch, President and CEO of Main Line Health said, "For 150 years, Lankenau has been defining medicine through innovative research, academic excellence and superior patient care. Designating Lankenau as a Medical Center more accurately reflects the organization's status in the medical community, while the expansion of the campus represents our commitment to continue to provide the most advanced facilities and resources available."

City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter praised the expansion of the Lankenau Medical Center campus. He said, "Lankenau has been a valued neighbor to West Philadelphia and has historically provided vital healthcare services to a broad range of Greater Philadelphia patients. The construction of the new heart and lung pavilion will significantly contribute to Greater Philadelphia's economic development efforts and the resulting medical services will benefit patients throughout the entire Northeast region."

Performing to the highest standards of excellence is the foundation of the Lankenau Medical Center. The Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) continues to assert its capacity to bring new drugs to the market, recently playing a critical role in the development and FDA approval of the new Dabigatran, an anticoagulant, and Dronedarone, used to correct heart rhythm abnormalities. In addition, Lankenau's Walter and Lenore Annenberg Center for Medical Education provides an array of superior residency and fellowship opportunities and is one of few hospital-based programs in the country to offer accreditation in three major areas of cardiology.

The new Patient Pavilion, a five-story, 281,000-square-foot structure, will surround and connect the existing buildings on the campus. Comprised of 96 private inpatient rooms, a 32-bed intensive care unit and two 32-bed telemetry inpatient care units, the facility will support the development of a comprehensive inpatient private bed strategy that includes expanding room size and increasing the number of critical care and telemetry-capable inpatient beds. The expansion will also improve clinical capabilities for ambulatory departments while also enabling the consolidation of cardiovascular and oncologic services.

Patient access to the campus, hospital and pavilion will be simplified as will the vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns. The project calls for the construction of a 1,300-car parking garage and the widening of Lancaster Avenue. Renovations will also include improvements to existing structures including significant enhancements to intensive care units, patient accommodations, laboratories and lobbies as well as new, energy efficient utilities. Construction is expected to be completed by 2013.

Finally, the expansion will strongly position Lankenau to meet the demands of healthcare reform. A computer at every bedside will enable the efficient and accurate management of electronic medical records while an array of fully-integrated IT solutions support collaboration among caregivers to maximize safety and effectiveness throughout this "new care" environment.

The Patient Pavilion is the latest and most dramatic of a long list of innovations that have been occurring on the Lankenau Medical Center campus. Earlier this year, Lankenau unveiled a new, cutting-edge cardiothoracic intensive care unit, and introduced the much-anticipated Comprehensive Breast Care Center.

Lankenau Medical Center is renowned for its nationally-acclaimed heart program, as well as its state-of-the-art Cancer Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Kidney Transplant Program. The Medical Center is equipped with the latest technology to diagnose disease and aid in treatment, including PET scanning, 3T MRI, the most advanced 64-slice CT scan in the region, the daVinci Robotic Surgical System and minimally-invasive operating rooms. A new cardiothoracic intensive care unit was unveiled in September to treat critically ill patients using the latest technology and design.

Lankenau has received regional and national recognition by independent organizations such as Premier and Thomson Reuters® for excellence in patient care outcomes and quality of care. HealthGrades® named Lankenau one of America's 50 Best Hospitals for the past four years, placing it in the top one percent of hospitals for safe, quality clinical care. Lankenau is also among the six percent of hospitals nationwide to be designated as a 2010 Magnet® hospital, the nation's top honor in nursing.

SOURCE Main Line Health