Lifestyle Village
At approximately 30,000 square feet, Lifestyle Village will be a differentiator in acute medical centers and will position UPMC as a thought leader in advanced care and in connecting and advancing well-being for family, community, and staff members outside the inpatient and unit spaces. The funding priorities are design solutions that support the four guiding principles for Lifestyle Village:
- Advance patient and family transitional care
- Fuel a community of well-being
- Support UPMC staff in work and life
- Establish thought leadership in family-centered care
Family Lounge
At UPMC, patient care is our topmost priority. We want to provide patients’ family members with a place where they can connect privately with other visiting family and friends. The family lounge addresses issues of self-care and wellness by accommodating the 89 percent of families reporting that part of their self-care routine involved talking to family and friends. Rooms will include flat screens so occupants can virtually connect with remote family members via FaceTime, Zoom, or other digital platforms.
This haven will also serve as a place for them to work, pay bills, return emails, and perform the other tasks work and life require of them, so spaces will include business-center amenities. A coffee-shop-like space supports family and friends that need to have a change of scenery and work in booths or at a large table.
Staff and Public Respite Rooms
Staff and public respite rooms will be located on each unit to serve as UPMC’s decentralized respite strategy to support staff members’ realistic workdays.
These respite spots will be near points of work and provide complete privacy from noise and people. In addition, these areas will be positioned along exterior walls to maximize access to daylight and outdoor views.
Spiritual Center
The current UPMC Chapel will evolve into an inclusive Spiritual Center, offering a place for staff, families, and patients—no matter their spiritual or religious practice—to pray, meditate, or reflect. We learned that 66 percent of families prayed or meditated for self-care. Currently, only 10 percent attend services in a place of worship. The transition from chapel to a more inclusive center makes sense, and we hope to see the new space used more often.
The Spiritual Center is an open and flexible space for larger gatherings or for individual reflection in a quiet place. The ablution space next to the Spiritual Center supports those of the Islamic faith. The center itself includes office space for faith-based leadership, which will give them a central space for their daily work.
To ensure no one is left out, patients and family members who can’t physically visit the Spiritual Center have inclusive access via integrated video and audio technology, which can be broadcast into the patient rooms.
