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New Center for Oral Health Care & Research Opens at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio
Kahler Slater and Marmon Mok Architecture Design Patient-Centered Building to Enhance Patient Care, Dental Education and Research
MILWAUKEE and SAN ANTONIO – With the opening of its new Center for Oral Health Care & Research, the School of Dentistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio has a modern, technologically advanced facility which will enable the school to bring improved multi-specialty dental care, education, training and research to South Texas.
The 198,000-square-foot, $96.5 million facility was designed by a joint venture with architecture firms Kahler Slater of Milwaukee and Marmon Mok Architecture of San Antonio. General contracting services were provided by teams from the Houston and San Antonio offices of Vaughn Construction.
Located at 8210 Floyd Curl Drive, the new facility features 400 dental chairs, along with radiology facilities, simulation labs and research space. It was designed to enhance patient comfort and convenience and reflect as closely as possible the clinical environments in which students will ultimately practice. Adjacent to the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC), the clinical home of the university’s School of Medicine’s faculty practice, the location facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and allows patients to conveniently access a full range of dental and medical care in one location.
“The new building enables the school to provide multi-specialty care in a modern space that is designed to provide the best possible patient experience,” said Larry Schnuck, AIA, Kahler Slater vice president and leader of the firm’s higher education specialty practice area. “That will help the school attract additional patients, ensuring that it continues to obtain and conduct important clinical research and helping it sustain its top-tier ranking in education, research and patient care.”
The first two floors are devoted to faculty practice in various specialties, including endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, geriatric dentistry, orthodontics and prosthodontics. They also house spaces for dental research and advanced education for residents. The third and fourth floors are home to a 200-operatory general dentistry clinic where third- and fourth-year dental and dental hygiene students will train.
Combining Patient-friendly Design, Latest Technology
Among the key features of the Center for Oral Health Care & Research are:
· Operatories are outfitted with the latest technology, including digital lighting and examination equipment; extra-large monitors to facilitate the viewing of dental images by practitioners and patients; computers for use in accessing and maintaining electronic oral health records; and an environmentally friendly, automated system that cleans water lines and treats waste water at the dental chair.
· For patients undergoing more extensive procedures, the facility includes a dental surgery operating room and overnight recovery area built to hospital specifications.
· The intuitive floorplan is designed for easy navigating by patients. Related clinics and administrative spaces are near each other. Waiting areas and such patient-related activities as registration are next to the clinics.
· Clean lines, ample natural light via large windows, and an open courtyard combine to create a welcoming, pleasant environment.
· Small conference rooms located near student and resident clinics enhance learning by facilitating interaction among students and faculty.
· The instrument management and sterilization systems comply with regulations established by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Facilitating Interprofessional Collaboration
The Center for Oral Health Care & Research is connected by enclosed walkways to the adjacent MARC. The site was chosen to facilitate collaboration between the schools’ clinicians, educators and researchers and enable patients to receive the full scope of dental and medical care in one place.
“Interdisciplinary health care is an important goal for the U.T. dentistry program,” said William R. Reeves, AIA, partner with Marmon Mok Architecture. “Having the two buildings next door to each other will enhance communication and strengthen relationships between the dental and medical clinicians, help facilitate necessary referrals, and make it easier for patients to receive the care they need.”
The Center for Oral Health Care & Research was funded primarily by proceeds from the Permanent University Fund, a public endowment supporting eligible institutions of The University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System. The School of Dentistry and more than 215 individual donors also made significant contributions.
Kahler Slater also has been retained to create concepts for a new free-standing Oral Health Research facility adjacent to the Center for Oral Health Care & Research. The proposed facility will include research wet labs to support a wide range of dental research, including bacteria, tissue sample and material studies.
