Leveling Up: UNM Hospital's Critical Care Tower to increase capacity, improve patient experience

University of New Mexico Hospital is looking to fill more than 700 positions at its new Critical Care Tower that is under construction.

The nine-level CCT will offer adult medical care and services. Construction on the facility is expected to be completed next spring. An opening date for the 684,000-square-foot facility has not yet been determined.

Departments hiring are surgical services, the intensive care unit, emergency medicine, pharmacy, radiology, rehabilitation therapy, speech language pathology, respiratory therapy, environmental services, facilities, food and nutrition and security. The teams will post job opportunities to unmhjobs.com/critical-care-tower. There will be a working total of 1,700 employees at the CCT, according to Makenzie McNeill, UNM Health communications manager of campus development.

“UNM Hospital offers unique features, such as being the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the state and having historical connections to Indian Health Services and the people of New Mexico,” Robby Toledano, director of talent acquisition at UNM Hospital, said in a statement.

The CCT is the largest construction project by total cost in the history of New Mexico. The $700 million project was partially funded by the state, and UNM Hospital is paying the balance with a combination of cash reserves and a mortgage, McNeill said.

Construction on the UNM Hospital Tower began in January 2021, according to the UNM Health website. The new tower will create more space for patients and staff . The four-year project includes a parking garage and utility plant. The garage opened to the public in June 2022.

Each of the CCT’s nine levels will serve a different purpose for adult patients. Spacious common areas and an abundance of natural light will contribute to the healing process, hospital officials said.

A helipad is on Level 9, the facility’s rooftop. The helipad includes a snowmelt system, LED walkway flood lights, green perimeter safety lights, a non-skid deck and hallways, as well as an automatic foam fire-suppression system.

There also is room to build another helipad if it is warranted in the future. The current Helipad on top of UNM Hospital will serve pediatric patients after the CCT opens.

The CCT’s basement level has adult emergency care and four trauma rooms, six resuscitation rooms, eight fast-track rooms, 10 behavioral health rooms and 40 standard exam rooms.

It’s Interventional Platform on Level 3 is made up of four cardiac catheterization labs, six interventional radiology suites, 18 operating rooms that include two hybrid operating rooms that combine imaging equipment and conventional operating equipment where surgeons can perform minimally invasive image-guided procedures and open surgical procedures without having to move a patient to different spaces. Level 3 also has 73 pre- and post-anesthesia care rooms.

The surgical suite includes a floor-to-ceiling stainless steel modular wall system. The Wall Street Journal called the setup “the operating room of the future” because of its exceptional infection control, reduced maintenance time and durability, McNeill said.

The adult intensive care units on Levels 5 and 6 will increase its ICE capacity from 72 beds to 96 beds at the CCT. The units will consist of two procedural rooms that will allow trauma surgeons to rapidly assess “very injured” patients, 24 neurological beds, 24 cardiothoracic beds, 24 trauma beds and 24 acute beds. The current ICU at UNM Hospital will be moving to the CCT when it opens.

Levels 7 and 8 include 96 acuity adaptable rooms with universal hospital beds for patients whose conditions are not severe enough to be in the ICE , McNeill said.

CCT staff will have an entire level to themselves. It is referred to as the Sky Campus and will have employee lounges, locker rooms, educator offices, physician call rooms, and medical student and team work rooms. There also will be overnight rooms where staff can rest and decompress.

“(Our) whole focus is to make sure that our team is taking care of themselves and making sure their mental, physical, emotional health is being addressed,” McNeill said. “.. Our staff will be able to meet here with other team members, a member of our spiritual health team, and receive that self-care because when (our team) is taking care of themselves that directly translates to patient care. When our staff is rested and are able to address their own needs, they’ll be able to take much better care of our patients.”