A Day in the Life of the New Clinical Tower

Neonatologist Hala Saneh, MD, physician assistant James Gerace, PA-C, and clinical dietitian Laura Willets, RD, CSP, are in the middle of morning rounding in the NICU. They’re reviewing medical charts to determine care plans needed for each of the 22 babies in the unit today. In addition to providing advanced Level 4 care—the highest level of NICU care—the Tower’s new NICU features private, individual rooms that are quiet, soothing, and equipped for even the most complex care right at each bedside.

Valentine the Clown is visiting Baby Isabella, who marked a major milestone this morning: she no longer needs her feeding tube. Isabella, who was born preterm, has been in the NICU for two weeks. It will likely be a few more weeks before she can go home, where her big sister is eager to meet her!

Just outside in the hall, Lydia Perleche, a patient care assistant, has just finished feeding a patient and is entering their vitals into the Epic medical records system. Lydia is on a 12-hour shift that will encompass a wide range of responsibilities. Next up: conducting hearing tests on some of the infants.

Baby Hunter enjoys some cuddle time of his own with his mother, Brandy, and his grandmother. He’s been in his spacious private room in the Tower since April 1, after being transferred from Connecticut Children’s NICU at Hartford Hospital. 

The Tower’s new pharmacy on the fourth floor (which is three times the size of the old pharmacy) is a busy hive of activity as staff work to ensure that patients and care teams have the medications and supplies they need—when they need them. Every month, the pharmacy dispenses 60,000 doses of medications.

Pharmacy technician Jazmine Rose fills orders from the large Omnicell carousel. The carousel holds approximately 2,000 line items—everything from prescription medications to supplies like Aquaphor cream—and is a marvel of automation. When a pharmacy team member scans a printed order, the carousel quickly rotates to the proper item. When inventory on an item runs low, the carousel automatically sends a refill order to the wholesaler.     

Meanwhile, a nurse has arrived from the hematology/oncology outpatient clinic to pick up the chemotherapy doses.

On the third floor, the Fetal Care Center is calm and quiet—and that’s by design. The serene, spa-like environment provides privacy and reassurance to parents-to-be during an emotionally vulnerable time. There’s even a dedicated elevator that allows families to arrive discreetly without navigating the bustle of the main hospital or exposing pregnant moms to sick children in the hospital’s main elevators. 

11:10 a.m.

Andrew Healy MD, Medical Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and sonographer Angela Bower are conducting a sonogram for one of the Center’s patients. Just down the hall, a Nesting Room is ready for her. These rooms are decorated with pretty meadow artwork in soothing colors and offer a quiet space where mothers can relax between imaging appointments, eat a meal, and securely store any belongings in a locker.

11:20 a.m.

While mom is in an imaging appointment or meeting with Timothy Crombleholme, MD, Director of the Fetal Care Center, and the fetal care team, siblings can hang out in the Fetal Care Family Lounge and pass the time by coloring our fun Wayfinding Friends on the wall.

Our Visitor Access Associates staff two security stations in the Tower, one in Emily’s Atrium on the street level and this one at the sky bridge entrance. Together, they serve as the front line of a sophisticated, state-of-the-art security ecosystem that is among the most advanced of any hospital in the region. Each day, between 1,100 and 1,300 visitors pass through these checkpoints. Behind the scenes, a network of next-generation cameras—including 100 in the new parking garage alone—keeps patients, families, visitors, and team members safe from arrival until departure.

From the Tower’s new security dispatch room, Security Team Lead Joe Willis can monitor more than 500 security camera feeds. This upgraded network of high-definition cameras gives the Security Team expanded visibility across the medical center in Hartford, as well as Connecticut Children’s locations around the state. New AI capabilities allow the security team to quickly locate and follow a suspicious individual. Cameras are programmed to recognize specific events—such as after-hours movement or glass breakage—and alert security personnel immediately. The new cameras can even detect a firearm on a person on the street outside the hospital and initiate a building lockdown. In addition, direct communication channels with the Hartford Police Department facilitate real-time information sharing and faster response in the event of an emergency.

In the Tower’s spacious new production kitchen, the busy lunchtime rush is over. Every day, the kitchen staff prepare and deliver about 300 nutritious meals to patients in the hospital. (In case you’re wondering, the most popular meal is chicken tenders and fries.) The kitchen also preps food for The Chase-Bear-Dyer Family Café next to the lobby atrium. At 5,000 square feet, the new kitchen and server are much larger than the old kitchen and better equipped to feed the number of patients cared for by the hospital today, in addition to our team members, patient families, and other visitors.