Design for Freestanding Emergency Center Unveiled

TMH Improving Emergency Services with the Area’s First Freestanding Emergency Center

The unveiling of the new Tallahassee Memorial Emergency Center Northeast building’s concept design reveals an embracing structure, infusing modern elements that achieve both aesthetic and sustainable results.  

 “Design has the power to promote feelings of wellness and healing.  The combined team of CRA and FreemanWhite sets the bar for innovation in their industry and will help to bring our vision to life, setting a new benchmark for improving comfort for all patients, while providing truly outstanding emergency care,” said Mark O’Bryant, President & CEO, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

“The preparatory mission of the Tallahassee Memorial leadership and emergency teams was to work with the architects to design a welcoming and healing environment, focusing on customized functionality for our pediatric and geriatric patients.  We are excited about the future expansion of our emergency services to include an off-campus, freestanding facility that focuses on delivering high quality, emergency services for our patients in an exceptionally inviting environment,” said Freda Lyon, Tallahassee Memorial Emergency Services Administrator.  

The building concept displays a pre-cast structure that is highlighted by areas of glass that denote the direction of entry and allows for excellent views from the interior.  The main public entry view is open and inviting, both in material and form, producing a visual “embrace” for all who enter.  The design includes a separate entrance into the pediatric emergency waiting room.  In addition, the upper level model incorporates wood-like screening elements which would both deflect light in the night for the surrounding neighborhoods and reduce energy requirements by providing shade during daylight.  Lastly, the north side of the building plans for a prominently lit marquee element that should be visible at any speed from the I-10 corridor.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare selected Clemons, Rutherford & Associates (CRA) and FreemanWhite, Inc. in a joint partnership to design the area’s first freestanding emergency center.  Clemons, Rutherford & Associates is a local Tallahassee firm that specializes in healthcare and educational facilities.  CRA has teamed with FreemanWhite, Inc., an emergency department design consulting firm that has completed over 200 emergency centers in the U.S. and is considered the national leader in ED design. FreemanWhite led the planning effort under the direction of Jon Huddy, Managing Principal, who authored the book Emergency Department Design: A Practical Guide to Planning for the Future published by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare President & CEO, Mark O’Bryant, talks about the design reveal for Tallahassee Memorial Emergency Center Northeast.

View the designs below (click on the image to see a larger view):

Tallahassee Memorial Announces Architect Selection for New Freestanding Emergency Center Northeast

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare has selected the team of Clemons, Rutherford & Associates (CRA) and FreemanWhite, Inc. to design the previously announced freestanding Emergency Center inside the Metropolitan Executive Center on Thomasville Road and I-10.

Clemons, Rutherford & Associates is a local Tallahassee firm that specializes in healthcare and educational facilities.  CRA will be teaming with FreemanWhite, Inc., an emergency department design consulting firm that has completed over 200 emergency centers in the U.S. and is considered the national leader in ED design. FreemanWhite will lead the planning effort  under the direction of Jon Huddy, Managing Principal, who authored the book Emergency Department Design: A Practical Guide to Planning for the Future published by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Update on Construction Activity for New Emergency Center – Northeast.

For those of you who read the Tallahassee Democrat, one of the more entertaining columns is Zing, which can be found on the Tallahassee Democrat editorial page. Anonymous readers can send in posts that are sometimes humorous and sometimes cynical, but always give a window to what our community is thinking.

Today in Zing, a reader posted the following comment: “If it takes TMH as long to build the proposed emergency center as it does for a patient to be served in the current one, most of us will never live to see it completed.”

A Message From Mark O'Bryant

Mark O'Bryant
President & CEO

I am pleased to tell you about an exciting new project that will make TMH’s emergency care faster and more convenient than ever before while maintaining the same high level of clinical quality you have come to expect. The project is a new, freestanding Emergency Center specifically designed to meet the increasing demands of our growing Big Bend region. The new Emergency Center will be located at the Thomasville Road and I-10 interchange. It will be staffed by our outstanding TMH Emergency physicians, able to respond to emergency situations involving stroke, heart attack and other life threatening illnesses. A freestanding Emergency Center is not a new concept. Innovative health care systems around the country have developed similar centers to improve access and drive down wait times for those in critical need of emergency treatment.

With this new Emergency Center we will also be able to add new features that extend the specialized care of our pediatric intensive care and geriatric services. In fact, special emphasis will be placed upon the specific needs of pediatric and geriatric patients to increase their comfort and lessen their anxiety during treatment.