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USA (Birmingham, AL) | Healthcare | noraplan® sentica

Children’s Hospital of Alabama

Children’s Hospital of Alabama, the third largest pediatric hospital in the country, completed a new 760,000-square-foot addition to its Birmingham campus two years ago. At the time, the hospital selected noraplan environcare™ and noraplan® sentica to address its top priorities – ease of maintenance, acoustics and durability. Since the floor’s installation, the staff has realized additional benefits. “The flooring looks exactly the same today as it did on day one, two years ago,” shares Denise Dexter, facilities design director. “The colors are still as vibrant. We see thousands of people throughout our facilities every day, and the floor has maintained perfectly.”

“Nurses can work up to 16 hours, and everybody wants to do their job to the highest level and be comfortable. With nora, we don’t have to worry about slipping, falling, aching feet or hurting backs. I haven’t heard any of those complaints since we moved into our new space,” says Kermilia Moorer-Whitehead, RN, director of 10 Harbert.

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Initially selected for its ease of maintenance, acoustic properties and durability, the noraplan environcare and noraplan sentica that run through much of the facility have delivered additional benefits to hospital staff and patients. “When we moved into the expanded facility, our nursing units multiplied in size – up to three times the size our nurses were accustomed to,” explains Dexter. “So there was a lot of extra walking. The staff was really concerned about that and how it would tax their bodies. After we moved in and experienced the nora floor, I’ve heard many wonderful comments, including ‘This makes my back feel so much better than the other unit!’”

The hospital anticipated reduced maintenance with their selection of nora, but they have been pleasantly surprised by the increased savings associated with reduced man-hours and costs over time. “The big deal is that the flooring is no-wax. Our existing facility has a lot of wax byproduct that would end up in our sewer drains, which causes buildups and backups within the facility,” explains David Cantrell, director of engineering/facilities. “With no-wax floors, we don’t have the manpower costs associated with maintaining those lines any longer.”

Additionally, chemical-free maintenance has led to improved air quality. “You don’t hear people commenting that we can’t walk down the hallway because the fumes from cleaning the floors are overwhelming the staff and patients,” says Kermilia Moorer-Whitehead, RN, director of 10 Harbert. “The environmental services people are able to quickly come in and clean the floor at any time, day or night. It doesn’t matter, because the process is simpler.”

Cantrell adds, “The rubber floor does offer better traction when it is wet compared to some of the other surfaces we have, like VCT, where it’s been waxed and gets slippery when you walk on it. With our staff having to walk a lot more in this larger facility, we don’t have that slip hazard.”

“It doesn’t matter how pretty it is, if it doesn’t perform and it can’t be maintained, it will never last,” says Dexter. “nora has provided that.” The addition has proven to be so successful that all materials, including nora flooring, have now been made standard for ongoing renovations in older existing buildings that comprise the hospital campus.

Children’s Hospital of Alabama

Children’s Hospital of Alabama

When Children’s Hospital of Alabama completed a 760,000-square-foot addition two years ago, the challenges posed by maintenance, acoustic control and durability over time were heavily considered when choosing materials. Learn how rubber flooring has resolved these concerns, and even provided additional benefits along the way.

 
 

Data and facts

Building Children's Hospital of Alabama
Market Segment Healthcare
Products noraplan® sentica
Architect HKS Maregatti Interiors – Dallas, TX
Installation Year 2012
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Products

noraplan® sentica

Rubber floor covering with a changing base colour of harmoniously matched colour components.

More references

Duke Children’s & WakeMed Children’s Specialty Services

USA (Raleigh, NC)
noraplan® sentica | Healthcare

Find a versatile, sustainable, easy-to-maintain and comfortable flooring that also offers a vibrant color palette and design flexibility in a children’s specialty clinic.

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