Johns Hopkins Hospital Gets New Look With 2 Clinical Towers

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Johns Hopkins Hospital is taking on a brand new look. It's not just a remodeling. It's a modern hospital built from the ground up.

Alex DeMetrick reports it's designed with a new approach to medicine.

Ever wonder what a billion dollars can build? At Johns Hopkins Hospital, it's two brand new towers.

"The clinical towers you'll have an opportunity to see today are the new face of Johns Hopkins Hospital," said Ronald R. Peterson, Johns Hopkins Hospital president.

That new face includes hallways the length of football fields. A preview tour covered only a fraction of the more than one and a half million square feet that will replace Hopkins' current hospital, which was "developed after the Civil War," said Dr. Edward Kasper, chief, clinical cardiology.

"Many of the layouts were reminiscent of Civil War hospitals, but today we need a new design," he said.

The new design includes 560 private rooms for both adults and children, including intensive care. All of the rooms are big enough to allow a family member to stay with the patient.

"Quiet is essential for healing.  The other thing we learned is the presence of family is critically important," said Claire Beers, pediatric intensive care unit.

Hopkins has adopted a family centric approach after talking with families.

"My son was here for five months, so that room in that hospital was our room for five months," said Robert Hicks, father of former patient.

"We know children do better with their families at their bedsides.  There will be no visiting hours at this children's center," said Dr. George Dover, director of Hopkins Children's Center.

But there will be state-of-the art tools, 33 new operating rooms and an emergency center twice the size of the current one.

And in nearly every area, "We're going to develop something new and different that brought patients and their families into the health care team,"  Kasper said.

Patients will be moved from the current hospital at Johns Hopkins to the new facility beginning April 28.