Construction Updates: Berryhill Hall and UNC Hospitals

Berryhill Hall Demolition and Construction of new Medical Education Building

Please mark your calendars for January 25 from Noon to 1:00 p.m. for an information session to be held in Fox Auditorium with the School of Medicine and UNC Planning regarding the new Medical Education Building designed to replace Berryhill Hall. They will provide the SON community with a general project overview, timeline and time for Q&A.

The project is currently scheduled to begin in fall 2019 and will be… hard to ignore. In total, the project is expected to take 27 months and for two years of that, we’re not expected to have access to the courtyard between the SON and the Beach. So please make plans to come learn what to expect and get your questions answered!

UNC Hospitals Update

We are constructing a new 333,555 square foot Surgical Tower in front of the N.C. Memorial Hospital. This building will allow us to create new, enhanced surgical spaces, new pre- and post- op rooms, and more waiting space for our patients’ families and loved ones.

While the results will be well worth it, this project will have substantial impact on the UNC Medical Center campus, including changes to traffic flows both inside and outside of the hospital, and new protocols to limit the inconvenience for our patients and guests.

Throughout this project, the most up-to-date information will be available at the following two links:

• Intranet link for providers and staff
• External link for patients, guests, and others who do not have access to the Intranet

The information below outlines as comprehensively as possible the changes you can expect to see in the coming weeks and months, including the tentative timeline and ways we will communicate with patients, guests and staff. A PDF of the information in this email may be found at this link.

Table of contents:

• Main Points
• Tentative Timeline
• Transportation and Parking
• Guest Services
• Registration
• Discharge
• Staff Talking Points
• Staff/Internal Communication Channels
• Patient/External Communication Channels

Main points:

• The Surgical Tower will enhance our ability to serve our surgical patients by offering larger operating rooms, new pre-op and post-op rooms and more space for families and loved ones to wait for those receiving care.
• This is an ambitious project that, when complete, will be the largest building on UNC Medical Center’s campus and will also give us an opportunity to enhance our existing infrastructure as we construct the new tower.
• The construction of the Surgical Tower will present several significant logistical challenges as we move through the project, the most significant of which will be experienced during the first year of the process.

Tentative Timeline:

• Late November 2018 (on or about Nov. 26) through the winter holidays:

o Closure of Memorial and Children’s Hospital entrances and the drop-off lanes in front of the hospital:

• The Children’s entrance will be closed for approximately 12 months.
• The Memorial entrance will remain closed for the duration of the project.

o The Women’s Hospital entrance will become the primary entry point for patients and guests.

o These closures will have a substantial impact on the flow of traffic in front of the hospitals, and on how patients get into and out of the hospital.

o The West sidewalk along East Drive (the sidewalk adjacent to the construction fencing) will be closed for the duration of the project

o West Drive north of the Dental Circle will be closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic

• January through March 2019:

o Utility work will require East drive to be consolidated down to one lane. This closure is expected to last 8 – 12 weeks.

• April 2019:

o Closure of the lobby concourse between Children’s and Memorial Hospitals.

• This closure is expected to last approximately eight months.
• Pedestrian traffic to Memorial will be routed along the hallway that passes the Corner Café and Volunteer Services.
• While the concourse is closed no concourse activities will take place. This will include the Farmer’s Market, volunteer sales, outside vendors, speaker presentation and other events normally held in that portion of the lobby.
• This closure is necessary to update utilities infrastructure and make it possible to connect them to the surgical tower.
• Additional guest services staff will be posted along the detour to assist guests with wayfinding.
• Fall 2019 – Spring 2022: Construction of the Surgical Tower
• Spring 2022: Surgical Tower Opens

Transportation and Parking:

• Those patients and guests who park in the Dogwood Deck will be encouraged by staff stationed in the deck to use the Cancer Hospital Bridge to access the hospital.
• To help staff, patients and guests navigate changes that impact traffic flow in front of the hospital, additional traffic control personnel will be stationed at points along the route. New signage will also be posted to indicate changes to the flow of traffic.
• The Chapel Hill Transit stops along Manning Drive will not change.

o However, because the stop between East and West Drives frequently used by staff to access the Park & Ride lots is adjacent to the construction fencing, we recommend staff utilize either the stop at the corner of Manning Drive and Hospital Drive or at the corner of Manning Drive and Emergency Room Drive when being dropped off.

• We must limit the number of vehicles in the drop-off loop in front of the hospital. Staff being dropped-off by car should plan to use Jackson Circle (off Mason Farm Rd. between the Physician’s Office Building and the Jackson Parking Deck) and use the stairs outside the Physician’s Office Building to access the Cancer Hospital Bridge.
• Valet service for patients and guests is expected to continue throughout the project. Those utilizing valet service will drop off their vehicles in the left lane of the traffic patterns that runs past the Transportation and Parking Office.
• Patients without mobility issues will be encouraged to park in the Dogwood Deck and take advantage of the increased frequency of the golf carts to and from the deck.
• West Drive will be inaccessible to vehicular traffic, except for Skanska construction traffic.

o West Drive should not be used for drop-off by School of Medicine staff, faculty, or students.

o Drop-off is available on South Columbia with easy access to MacNider, Bondurant, and Burnett-Womack, or on Medical Drive near the Beach Café.

• The designated area for shuttle drop-off will be at the beginning of the drop-off circle — closest to the Cancer Hospital entrance.
• Seven parking officers will be stationed at points throughout the traffic pattern in front of the hospital – leading up Hospital Drive, through the traffic circle in front of the Cancer, Neuroscience and Women’s entrances – in order to facilitate the flow of traffic and assist pedestrian crossings at designated crosswalks.

Staff Talking Points:

• The Surgical Tower project is part of our effort to best serve the people of North Carolina by investing in our UNC Medical Center facilities. When completed in 2022, the new tower will feature modernizedsurgical spaces, enhanced pre-op and post-op rooms for patients, and comfortable spaces for their loved ones to wait during their procedure.
• In addition to enhanced space for patients and their families, the Surgical Tower will expand our surgical spaces so that we can accommodate new equipment and procedures, which are being developed by providers at UNC Medical Center and around the world.
• We understand the challenges that will arise with a project of this scale. We appreciate your patience as we do what is necessary to provide the best, most advanced care for you, your loved ones and the people of North Carolina.
• While the tower is under construction, please include a little extra time for trips to UNC Medical Center.
• Looking for the most up-to-date information about how the project may affect your visit to the Medical Center? Visit uncmedne.ws/surgical-tower
• We are constantly looking for ways to minimize the disruption our growth may cause. Have a suggestion or a question? Email it to uncmcsurgicaltower@unchealth.unc.edu.

Staff/Internal Communication Channels

• Surgical Tower Intranet page: https://uncmedicalcenter.intranet.unchealthcare.org/Pages/Surgical-Tower.aspx

o A regularly updated site that will serve as the primary source of information for staff

o Will be available directly from Intranet home page for duration of project.

• Email: uncmcsurgicaltower@unchealth.unc.edu

o A resource for both staff and patients, where questions that are not addressed in any of the other channels can be asked directly. This inbox is monitored daily.