The clouds had been gray and drizzly all day on June 20, 2006, as the final preparations were made for the Grand Opening of the Patient Care Center at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital. As if to indicate God's "thumb's up" on the occasion, the skies lit up as the sunshine slowly peeked through when nearly 700 community members, employees, elected officials, and administrators gathered for the ceremony. The beautiful state-of-the-art addition to the hospital campus combines high-end technological advances with the compassionate care the hospital has been providing to the western suburbs of Chicago for over half a century.

As visitors enter the atrium lobby, they are greeted by a two-story waterfall feature donated by Walsh Construction to highlight the hospital's whole-person approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit.

Designed with patient privacy and greater efficiency in mind, the five-story addition optimizes patient comfort and enhances the recovery process with strategically located spaces, rooms, and service areas."We worked with the architects to ensure that the layout of the patient care center is easy for visitors to navigate," notes chief operating officer Ed Gervain. "There are shorter, more direct routes to services such as pre-admission testing and admissions, as well as a separate private exit for patient discharge."

As patients, visitors, and employees walk throughout the building, they can see glimpses of the hospital's Christian mission reflected in architectural elements in unique and subtle ways. "We've tried to integrate Christian symbols into the building as visual cues that this is a faith-based institution," says Tim Cook, chief executive officer. "Our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Christ and our vision is that every person who enters Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital would catch a glimpse of Jesus' love."

"Many patients often refer to our staff as 'angels' and note the dedication of the people who work within our hospital walls," notes Cook. "That dedication is something that crossed the threshold with us into the new facility." Chief nursing officer Sheila Horner explains, "As we oriented the 1,200 employees on the new building and trained them on patient safety in the new facility, we asked them to make a daily commitment to health care as a ministry, not just a job. We want empowered employees to do what is right for the patient. We are all here because God has a plan for us to be a caring team that provides health care services with Christian compassion."

"The Patient Care Center is now a facility that mirrors the spirit of the hospital," Cook says. "We present one mind, one heart, and one spirit to the community. When our employees wear a lapel pin with the flame logo, it represents the commitment we have all made."

Crister DelaCruz, director of public relations for Adventist Midwest Health