Improved patient room lighting, a dedicated physical therapy and occupational therapy room and a more healing atmosphere for patients are the main features of a $3.3 million renovation to the University Hospital’s Trauma Burn Center approved Dec. 15 by the Board of Regents.
Originally built in 1986, the Trauma Burn Center (TBC) has undergone only minor improvements since its construction. As the delivery of medicine has changed in that time, the unit’s current physical constraints now limit staff efficiency.
The 6,600-square-foot renovations will maximize the unit’s effectiveness through improvements to patient rooms, treatment rooms, patient and support corridors, and the creation of a faculty on-call room.
“These improvements will ensure that we continue to deliver the highest quality patient care and provide a safe, efficient and welcoming environment for our staff, patients and families,” says Dr. Lena Napolitano, trauma director of U-M’s Level 1 Trauma Center, chief of acute care surgery at the U-M Health System and professor of surgery.
The TBC is an internationally recognized leader in patient care, research and rehabilitation. The center is verified as both a Burn Center and a Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons.
Along with acute care, the center provides programs that address preventable injuries to children, adolescents and adults as well as the medical and social consequences of injury and disability. The TBC is committed to community education on prevention, consequences and treatment of traumatic injury.
The TBC, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in fall 2009, admits about 1,450 patients each year.
