BLOOMINGTON — OSF St. Joseph Medical Center recently combined two of its units in 8,000 square feet of unoccupied space.

The hospital relocated its Center for Healthy Lifestyles (CHL) unit and cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation unit to the first floor of the Birthing Center addition, which opened in 2011. The 8,000 square feet of space was developed and equipped to combine the units.

“It’s a way to bring the two services together, both cardiac rehab and Center for Healthy Lifestyles, at one location, so we provide more convenient services for wellness, disease prevention as well as health management, both to our patients and our community,” said Center for Health Lifestyles Director Erin Kennedy.

The relocation and combination of the units is part of Phase One of a $21 million facility master plan project that will renovate some existing areas and move outpatient services closer to hospital entrances — while keeping acute care in the middle — to make it easier for outpatients and visitors. Also part of the facility master plan project, the hospital is building a new lab and a hybrid operating room. The relocation of the CHL and cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation units provides extra space for the construction of the lab and operating room.

“We’re developing this lab and remodeling our admissions/registration area and we have a sixth OR (operating room) or a hybrid OR,” said Kennedy. “All of those changes are affecting other departments too. That’s one of the reasons we moved. It was because of a bigger area and it provides more opportunities for the lab and the OR.”

Most of the cardio equipment and free weights used in the previous cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation unit location are being used in the unit’s new location. 

“Our current rehab has the same equipment,” said Kennedy. “There’s a couple of new pieces.”

A state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen was built for the new CHL location.

“We have a new state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen where all our cooking classes are held,” said Kennedy. “We have a massage therapy room. We have different types of screening rooms to promote peripheral artery disease screening, cholesterol and glucose screening.”

The additional space in the new CHL location allows the unit to offer more classes. 

Sharing space with cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation also provides the CHL with more collaboration on disease prevention and health promotion. That means “greater outcomes for patients and employees,” said Kennedy. 

The nuclear medicine camera was relocated from the lower level of the 1968 hospital building to the former CHL kitchen and classroom area that has been rebuilt.

Dean Easton, 75, of Normal, has been doing cardiac rehabilitation since quadruple bypass heart surgery in January 2007, and exercises in the hospital’s cardiac/pulmonary rehab area three times a week. He enjoys the new location.  

“It’s very nice,” said Easton. “I like the view of the outside, the equipment is up-to-date and I’m glad they have the same nurses. I can’t conceive of a better staff.”

Patients seem excited about the renovation and relocation of the two units, said OSF St. Joseph Medical Center Clinical Manager of Medical Imaging and Technology Donna Sandage.

“Everybody’s really excited to get in here,” said Sandage. “The patients like the brightness of the area and the ease of access.”

The CHL has nine full- and part-time employees and the cardiac/pulmonary rehab has eight.