Ellen J. Otto, R.N., OCN, and Dennis Haynes, R.N., OCN, helped create the Asian-accented Infusion Center.

March 29, 2004 -- “This year and the next few years represent the busiest time of construction at the Medical Center in terms of square footage since 1989, when the new University Hospital was being built,” says R. Edward Howell, vice president and chief executive officer.

The busy times will continue. Altogether, the Medical Center devoted $56 million to capital funding in fiscal year (FY) 2004 for equipment, facilities and information technology. The plan is to allocate another $58 million to this purpose in FY 2005 and to continue to fund capital expenditures at this rate – approximately 9 percent of the operating budget – for the rest of the decade. This steady and significant infusion of funds is on par with the best academic medical centers and will give the Health System the tools to transform this institution dramatically, Howell notes.

This capital allocation amount does not include the hospital expansion project ($62 million), which is being funded with bonds, as are the medical office buildings at Fontaine Research Park. The School of Medicine (SOM) will gain a new educational building within the next few years, in part thanks to a generous matchingfunds gift from the Claude Moore Foundation, says Arthur Garson, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., vice president and dean of the SOM. “The Claude Moore Foundation’s magnificent gift will create a learning environment that supports the most advanced, twenty-first-century medical training available for future physicians,” Garson says. “This building and the programs it houses will truly be models for the U.S.”

Indeed, the scope of facility construction, renovation and acquisition of new technology has been and continues to be noteworthy. The following hits some of the high points of recent change and growth within the Health System.

Hospital Expansion Project

The hospital expansion project continues, and ultimately will provide new and additional operating room space and renovation of existing space, which should be completed in May 2006. Renovations of the first and second floors of University Hospital will help to accommodate patients using heart and vascular, perioperative and interventional radiology services.

The final total will be 24 operating rooms, up from the 21 operating rooms (including two modular operating rooms) available at University Hospital today. Overall construction will add up to 120,000 gross square feet.

Lobby and Family Waiting Rooms

The lobby is now under construction and slated for a midsummer completion. The new information desk is operational. Two new elevators will run from lobby level to the new-second floor heart and vascular space as well as the new surgery suite.

The family waiting room renovations are nearing completion. “We have made provisions for computer nooks. Visitors will be able to access their email and other online resources in these waiting rooms,” says David Gipson, director of facilities services.

Many cyber cafes, where employees can access the intranet site KnowledgeLink and email via new computers, were installed throughout the Health System late in 2003.

New Space at Fontaine

The Health System presence has expanded at Fontaine Research Park, as new building space has opened. A variety of ultrasound services are now available at UVa Imaging. Services include imaging for abdomen/gallbladder, liver, pelvis/endovaginal, obstetrics, thyroid, scrotum, extremities, hernia, kidneys (renal), renal artery stenosis and the right upper quadrant. Sameday and next-day appointments are available.

The Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism now is located in the Aurbach Medical Research Building in the Fontaine Research Park. The faculty and staff of the division are both conducting research and providing cuttingedge patient care.

The outpatient services of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has moved into new space at Fontaine. This expanded, attractive area will offer state-of-the-art endoscopic diagnostic equipment, an outpatient facial reconstructive and cosmetic surgery center, leading-edge dizziness and balance evaluation and management, tinnitus assessment and treatment, and an xpanded
Cochlear Implant Center.

Radiology and Radiation Oncology

One of the most advanced imaging modalities on the market today is the PET-CT scanner now available in the Department of Radiology. This machine combines the strengths of two established imaging methods – positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) – in one New Clinics, PET-CT provides more accurate identification and anatomic location of cancers, earlier detection of cancers and increases patient comfort by shortening scan time.

UVa Imaging at Fontaine now offers a high-field open MRI. The award-winning open framework design offers a more comfortable option for the larger or claustrophobic patient. Benefits include mid-field 0.7 Tesla performance, less patient anxiety because of open design and minimal weight limitations.

The Department of Radiation Oncology soon will acquire tomotherapy technology. The tomotherapy system at UVa, one of the first in the nation, delivers intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The tomotherapy system also includes a computed tomography (CT) subsystem to help physicians pinpoint the dimensions of the patient’s tumor immediately before treatment, so that healthy tissue surrounding the tumor receives a minimal dose of radiation. “Tomotherapy is state-of-the-art IMRT combined with the advantage of daily targeting of the tumor via a CT scan,” says Maria Kelly, M.D., chair of the
Department of Radiation Oncology.