The newly revamped Dallas-based Parkland Hospital is designed with the universal patient in mind — no matter how big or small.
Reflecting a nationwide trend, the new 17-story tower at Parkland Hospital has 862 single-patient rooms that are sensitive to the needs of obese patients, according to The New York Times.
"Most hospitals were not built for larger people," David Provost, MD, a Dallas-based bariatric surgeon who previously worked at Parkland Hospital, told The New York Times.
Rather than design only a handful of rooms for bariatric patients, Parkland made each of its rooms 273-square feet with six-foot-wide doorways and smart beds that can accommodate patients up to 500 pounds. Each room also has a 50-square-foot bathroom with a four-foot-wide door and a shower with a large seat, according to the report, and 100 rooms are outfitted with a motorized lift that can hold patients up to 1,000 pounds.
The rooms are also ready for larger visitors. Chairs can hold visitors up to 400 pounds and a fold-out bed can hold up to 750 pounds, according to the report.
The rooms are meant to accommodate the challenges of caring for larger patients, who may also have multiple medical conditions, and make patients' stays more comfortable.
More articles on population health:
The racial divide in end-of-life care
Are all community needs analysis limiting choices to healthcare leaders?
Cleveland Clinic to no longer serve McDonald's