ROYAL OAK, MI — HED, a national integrated design and engineering firm, announces the completion of the new Max and Debra Ernst Heart Center at Beaumont Hospital, in Royal Oak, Michigan, in the Detroit metro area. The firm led the architecture, engineering and interior design for the 14,000-square-foot hospital addition.

This new addition is dedicated to consolidating cardiac care, particularly for patients with heart failure, into a convenient and comprehensive facility. The unit includes 12 patient care rooms, an echocardiogram room, a vascular room, a stress testing room and two treatment rooms designed for outpatient medication infusion services. It is designed to treat 100 patient visitors per day.

"This kind of focused, Heart Failure Clinic is becoming ever-important to today's patient populations, and our team is delighted to be able to provide our design skills on important assignments like these," said David Jaeger, Principal and Healthcare Studio Leader with HED. "The design for this new space incorporates a mix of highly technical solutions and operational efficiencies that will impact the quality of care and quality of life for both the patients and providers."

The $9-million project combines outpatient services for heart patients into one specialized clinic at the facility, making prompt cardiac care easier to access and more efficient for patients returning on a regular basis. This new unit will help cardiac patients by reducing emergency room visits and hospital stays.

With heart failure as the top reason for the hospitalization of people 65 and older, the disease can lead to frequent hospitalization for advanced care and can greatly undermine patients' quality of life. Heart Failure Clinics are not yet common around the U.S., with only a handful built to-date mostly in academic health systems. Beaumont Hospital has been a longtime leader in cardiovascular care and developed this center as an industry leader to improve patient quality of life and further research into better approaches specific to congestive heart failure.

The new Max and Debra Ernst Heart Center is situated on the east side of the hospital campus, so specific planning attention was paid to the integration of the new space into the existing campus' environmental context. Designed with its own entry, and in close proximity to parking for those patients experiencing difficulties in walking, attention was given to wayfinding and signage to help separate the unit visually on arrival. A glass façade wraps the new addition, adding a recognizable element and pouring natural light into the patient care spaces.

Margaret Cooney Casey, Beaumont Health Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, said, "This outstanding patient care center was made possible due to the generosity of Max and Debra Ernst. Max and Debra have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the heart health of this community, and the new Max and Debra Ernst Heart Center is the most recent example of this dedication for which we are truly grateful."