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Delnor Community will achieve Planetree designation
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Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva, Ill., recently completed the largest expansion in its history: a three-story, 100,000-square foot addition. Following research into best practices in hospital design and patient-centered care, KDI Design, Inc., Geneva, Illinois, and the hospital staff chose furniture from KI to help create a welcoming, nurturing environment throughout the facility.
The 52-bed wing serves orthopedics, oncology, surgery and renal patients. It includes patient rooms, lounges, offices, a kitchen, and an education center with wireless Internet access. |
Attending to patient comfort was central to the design as Delnor prepares to become one of a few hospitals in Illinois to achieve the Planetree designation. Planetree is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing patient- and family-centered care in an environment that cultivates healing of the mind, body and spirit. KI’s breadth of product and its capability to customize furniture allowed designers at KDI Design, Inc. to create spaces that adhere to the Planetree criteria and keep a consistent visual signature.
“Ensuring that Delnor Hospital could meet Planetree criteria was extremely important, so we needed to create spaces that felt like home,” said Kim Casiero, senior interior designer for KDI Design, Inc. “KI’s healthcare furniture and expertise helped us create an environment that enables family members to be an integral part of the healing process.”
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KI’s Soltíce® collection, specified in the facility’s patient rooms and lounge areas, offers visitors a relaxing place to rest and wait and provides a natural, soothing environment. Patient rooms also accommodate family members, allowing them to sleep comfortably alongside their loved ones on KI’s LaResta® day bed.
KI’s Perth® recliners also provide a place for patients or family members to lounge and relax. In fact, the Wall Saver feature on the Perth recliner was so appealing to Delnor’s construction staff and KDI’s designers that they worked with KI to incorporate the mechanism into the Soltíce recliners as well. |
“We looked at a lot of manufacturers for this project, and we went with KI because they could offer us everything we were looking for — from standard seating to folding chairs to sleeper sofas,” said Mark Larson, construction team leader, Delnor Hospital. “KI customized some of the pieces to help us create the upscale look we wanted, so we were able to create a cohesive aesthetic. We looked at this project as a unified whole, and through the mockup process KI was able to give us a sense of what the entire facility would look like. We were even able to purchase all of the furniture together, which helped us to streamline the process and gain a great value.” |
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KI furniture also outfits Delnor Hospital’s new lounges, lunchrooms, offices and nurses’ stations. Along with Soltíce, the doctor’s lounge features Lola™ chairs and loveseats and Relax™ chairs. Xylon® chairs and Synthesis® tables provide comfortable seating in the lunchroom area. Synthesis tables also work well when coupled with Impress® chairs in the nurses’ stations. Offices feature True® desking with Wireworks® systems and Quatro™ guest chairs, carrying the facility’s clean, soothing aesthetic even into private workspaces. “We were not only impressed with KI’s product line and the company’s ability to work with us to create custom solutions, but also with the quality and versatility of the furniture,” said Casiero. |
“Each piece, whether standard or custom, is extremely well made. Many pieces, such as the custom Soltíce folding chair or LaResta day bed, can easily move or collapse to perform multiple functions,” said Casiero. “The hospital’s staff, its patients and their family members are very happy with the results.”
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