Vail Valley Women’s and Children’s Center

Heery was retained to design a new 29,800 SF women’s and children’s center and an ambulatory surgery center for Vail Valley Medical Center.  The new women’s center accommodates seven labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum (LDRP) rooms, plus four additional private rooms for antepartum and postpartum overflow, gynecology patients and pediatrics.  The center also includes a dedicated C-section delivery suite and recovery room.

With the completion of this project, the existing labor and delivery suite, located on the main floor of the building, gave way to allow for the development of more ambulatory care services on that level.  The added benefits of building the new women’s center on the upper level include occasional sharing of inpatient nursing and bed space with the patient care unit, co-location with future physician offices and wonderful views of Vail Mountain from each LDRP Room.

The major challenge of this project was to build this addition above currently occupied space and to provide a modified floor level to align with the existing patient care unit.  To solve these logistical problems, Heery designed a new superstructure to span over the existing structure, to match the existing PCU floor level.  This created an interstitial space, which allowed for utility penetrations below the new floor without disrupting ceilings throughout the occupied space below.

The new 13,100 SF ambulatory surgery center accommodates four orthopedic and general operating rooms, plus a dedicated procedure room for endoscopic care. The ambulatory surgery center is owned and operated as a joint venture between Vail Valley Medical Center and its physicians.