Prisma Health, Children’s Outpatient Hospital (CHOC)

The Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center (CHOC) in Spartanburg is a 23,500 SF multidisciplinary medical office building owned and operated by Prisma Health (originally Greenville Health System). The facility combines one central location for three pediatric practices that formerly resided in different locations around Spartanburg. In addition to creating convenience for the patient, CHOC allows the healthcare system to create a unique and marketable identity within a competitive arena. Practices included are: a General Pediatrics clinic; a Pediatric Specialties clinic with Echo, EEG and minor procedure suites; and a Pediatric Therapy Practice including behavioral, occupational, and physical therapy services.

Two primary goals were established for this project. The first involved careful programming and space planning that would allow each practice to grow without drastically increasing the combined square footage. This was achieved by eliminating duplication within the program and consolidating services into such areas as central registration and patient waiting for all three practices; shared lab and procedure space; and shared staff support areas — such as break rooms, records storage, and classrooms. Both waiting and registration are broken into pods so each space can flex based on seasonal illness needs and practice traffic loads.

Another goal was to maintain a construction cost so that the lease currently paid by each practice did not see a dramatic increase, while at the same time accommodating building and utility systems that minimize life cycle costs. To aid the owner in making decisions based on upfront costs versus lifecycle costs, our architects and engineers provided energy modeling data for various mechanical and plumbing systems, as well as analysis of building construction methods that meet or surpass current best standards.

Finally, it was deemed important that each of the three practices reach consensus on the building layout, interior design schemes, and overall aesthetics. This was achieved through meeting with practices individually and collectively, careful listening with detailed documentation, and the use of high-resolution architectural renderings and animation to convey design intent and confirm aesthetic expectations.

The facility opened in July of 2015.