Born of a desire to better serve its rapidly growing region, Stamford Health's new Hospital was conceived around three active verbs: embrace, care, and heal. The EYP Team designed the Hospital to balance high tech and human touch, blending efficiency and comfort to demystify medicine and create a healthy environment for patients, families, and staff.

With campus structures dating back 100 years, Stamford Health recognized the need for a larger, modern, well-equipped hospital. When completed, the new facility was the largest LEED healthcare project in the U.S. and the first in Connecticut.

Healing begins as soon as you arrive at the terracotta and glass hospital, filled with natural light, calming art, and stone and wood surfaces. Hospitals can be overwhelming, so the Team focused on creating a stress-reducing environment with noise control, water and fireplace features, terraces and gardens, and calming views. Ready to take a deep breath and collect yourself? There's a comfortable seat by the window.

To meet the need for speedy emergent care, the Team doubled the emergency department's capacity to 48,000 square feet. The ED now has two entrances — one for walk-ins and one for ambulances. A medical team immediately triages visitors.

In the first year, the time from arrival to bed for admitted patients decreased more than half, from 47 minutes in the old Hospital to 21 minutes in the new Hospital. And patients receive care two-times faster, from 41 minutes to 19 minutes.

Following the Planetree person-centered philosophy, the Hospital pivots around the patient. Each patient room has a pull-out couch and a private bathroom. Three nurses' stations per floor allow a direct line of sight into patient rooms. And medical staff have break and relaxation spaces inside and outside, translating into better care.

Samford Hospital is healing, reimagined.