Next month, The Emory Clinic will begin a project to expand and improve patient access to buildings A, B, and C in anticipation of construction of the planned Emory University Hospital bed tower. This project will conclude in August 2012 in time for the start of the new bed tower construction. The new bed tower, slated for completion in 2016, will be located directly in front of Clinic B, which means that the current patient drop-off at Clinic B will be closed once site preparation for the bed tower begins.

As a result, the patient drop-off behind Clinic A and Winship Cancer Institute is being expanded and improved. "This presents an opportunity to enhance traffic flow for both people and cars and make arrival at the clinic safer and more welcoming for everyone," says Alison Douis, senior manager, facility planning.

The project will add lanes to make valet parking easier and faster and improve self-parking by creating an elevated, "conditioned" (heated and cooled) bridge from the Lowergate parking deck to the clinic. "Pedestrians will no longer have to compete with cars on Lowergate," says Douis.

In addition to this project to expand and improve pedestrian and vehicle access, the clinic has undertaken recent and ongoing moves of various specialty sections among buildings A, B, 1525, and the Medical Office Tower at Emory University Hospital Midtown. These changes are part of redesign and renovation projects to align clinic demand with available capacity. The new space will be more inviting for patients and tailored more closely to meet the needs of physicians as well.

"We're making infrastructure changes in lieu of building the new outpatient facility we had planned several years ago," says Don Brunn, clinic COO. "We're still experiencing the growth we anticipated, and we're making changes to meet our space needs and enhance these facilities for patients and their families."