Mayo Clinic's New Facilities Set Stage for the Future Practice of Medicine

Monday, October 08, 2001

ROCHESTER, MINN. — Mayo Clinic will open its new "front door" this week, celebrating the completion of a multi-million dollar building project designed to unite medical professionals, researchers and teachers to provide the best care for patients.

"Patient focus has always been at the heart of Mayo Clinic," says Hugh Smith, M.D., chair of the Board of Governors, Mayo Clinic Rochester. "These facilities will help us make a visit to Mayo Clinic simpler, friendlier, quicker, easier and more efficient for our patients."

The heart of the project is the new Gonda Building, which brings together clinic and hospital services to make more efficient use of patient time. The subway and lobby levels open in October. Preoperative examination and electrocardiography are located in the subway; Admissions and Business Services and the Mayo Clinic Cancer Education Center are located in the lobby. As additional floors open, there will be more disease-specific patient care centers including the Neuroscience Center and the Cancer Center. Subsequent floors will open beginning in the spring of 2002.

The new projects, financed in large part by philanthropy, add more than 1.5 million square feet to the downtown campus and create the largest interconnected clinical facility of its kind in the world. This is the first major construction for specialty patient care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester since the Mayo Building was built in the 1950s and expanded a decade later.

"It's exciting because we're going to be able to care for our patients at a whole new level of performance," says Dr. Smith. "For example, the physician caring for a woman in the Breast Clinic will be able to go next door to where the mammogram is being done and go over the actual images with the radiologist, whose expertise it is to read those images. She won't have to wait overnight for mammography test results that can cause worry. We'll have the answer that afternoon. Precision, efficiency and peace-of-mind will come from interactions such as these. Ultimately, patients benefit."

Mayo expects to expand its medical practice, adding up to 100 physicians and up to 1,000 allied health staff during the next three to five years, depending upon the needs of the practice.

"Patient demand for appointments led us to undertake this project," says Kerry Olsen, M.D., chair of the Practice Integration Work Group planning the new facilities. "We are grateful for the continued confidence that our patients place in us."

The new buildings contain exam rooms, procedure rooms, operating rooms, hospital rooms and areas for educational and clinical research activities — all under one roof.

"Our new space is flexible and can be reconfigured as new procedures and technologies are developed," Dr. Olsen says. "The buildings have been designed to accommodate evolving technologies and biomedical discoveries. That's what makes these facilities ready to support the next 100 years of medical advances."

The total cost of the projects is $441 million, nearly half of which has been given or pledged by Mayo Clinic benefactors. Gifts support the full spectrum of activities including construction, research, education, art and amenities.

"Every gift to Mayo Foundation is important and appreciated," says Dr. Smith. "Philanthropic and government support remain key for Mayo Clinic to continue serving patients. With the continued support of our patients and friends, we look forward to our future with confidence and optimism." ###

B-roll, including soundbites and building footage, available upon request.

Questions and answers about the building projects

Why did Mayo Clinic decide to undertake these building projects? Patient demand for appointments led us to undertake these projects. The Mayo Building's most recent addition (top 10 floors) was completed in 1968, so it is now nearly 33 years old. Our new facilities will provide a modern physical environment in which doctors can optimize patient care, education and research.

Describe the scope of the projects. Mayo has planned and saved for 15-20 years in anticipation of this large project, which will add more than 1.5 million square feet to Mayo Clinic's campus. The facilities unite medical professionals, researchers and teachers to provide the best care for patients. The projects comprise the following: * The Gonda Building, the centerpiece * Renovation of existing space in other Mayo Clinic buildings * Expansion of the Charlton Building (completed in 2000)

How much does it cost? The total cost is $441 million; the cost of the Gonda Building is $375 million.

How was the construction funded? A combination of donations and capital reserves was set aside to fund the projects. Generous contributions by benefactors such as the Gonda family made this possible. Every gift to Mayo Foundation is important and appreciated. A total of $200 million has been pledged or donated for this effort — unparalleled in Mayo Clinic's history.

Will patients' medical bills increase to pay for the buildings? No.

Will you need to hire more staff? Mayo Clinic expects to hire up to 100 physicians and up to 1,000 allied health care staff over the next three to five years, depending upon the needs of the practice.

How do these projects benefit patients? This is a patient-friendly building, renovation and technology project that unites doctors, researchers and teachers to provide the best care for patients. Patients will benefit from the collaboration of many different specialists.

Patients will also have a more streamlined experience at Mayo Clinic. By bringing together clinical, diagnostic, procedural and hospital services in close proximity, we will make more efficient use of patients' time. There also will be more disease-specific patient care centers (Neuroscience Center, Transplant Center, Cancer Center). Patients will be able to interact more easily and conveniently with physicians, surgeons, nurses, dietitians, therapists, technicians, business office staff, chaplains and others.

Other benefits include: * Convenient indoor access to different buildings * Easier patient access to Mayo Clinic and hospital services in one location * New patient care programs * Expanded opportunities for patient education and research activities in close proximity to the specialty areas

What are the Gonda Building's special features? Each floor of the Gonda Building will have a patient education area in which patients can look up topics on the internet and read medical information. The building also will use the latest technology, including electronic medical records and lecture rooms with sophisticated video conferencing capabilities.

Flexibility is also a critical design component of the Gonda Building. The Gonda Building can be reconfigured to adapt as new medical procedures and technologies are developed. It will also combine many features of a hospital with a clinic building, with an efficient outpatient procedural and surgical practice.

When will the Gonda Building be open for patient use? Phase I of the project includes construction of 10 floors, scheduled to begin occupancy in the fall of 2001. The building will open sequentially, starting with the subway and lobby. Additional floors will follow, until the tenth floor opens around the end of 2002.

Subway * Electrocardiography * Preoperative examination

Lobby * Admissions and Business Services * Mayo Clinic Cancer Center: Cancer Education Center and Administration

Second Floor * Breast Clinic/Mammography * Mayo Clinic Taylor Cardiac Interventional Center

Third Floor * Radiology

Fourth Floor * Mayo Clinic Gonda Vascular Center * Cardiovascular Diseases

Fifth Floor * Cardiovascular Diseases

Sixth Floor * Cardiovascular Diseases

Seventh Floor * Urologic Diseases * Outpatient Surgical Center

Eighth Floor * Neurosciences

Ninth Floor * Gastroenterology/Colon & Rectal Surgery

Tenth Floor * Cancer Center

What is the next phase of construction? Phase II includes an additional seven clinical floors, which is shelled-in space for future use.

When was the last time Mayo Clinic undertook a major construction project? There has been no major construction for specialty patient care since the Mayo Building was constructed in the 1950s and expanded a decade later.

John Murphy 507-284-5005 (days) 507-284-2511 (evenings) e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Shelly Plutowski 507-284-5005 (days) 507-284-2511 (evenings) e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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