Supporting MCP for sophisticated hospital functions even in a disaster

In the case of the Japanese Red Cross Ashikaga Hospital, we designed a “green hospital” based on the keywords of energy saving, low CO2 emissions, water conservation (Green), safe and secure (Safety), and friendly to patients and hospital staff (Smart).
 This was a proposal for a safe and secure hospital, which gave careful consideration to MCP by envisioning not only the occurrence of natural disasters, but various other risks as well, including pandemics and bioterrorism.
 By designing a building that saves energy and water, the amount of backup needed in the event of a disaster can be less than that of conventional hospitals.

An emergency power generator, which has a capacity equal to the hospital’s contract demand, will provide enough backup power to not only continue providing patient care, but almost all regular services, in the event of a power failure.
 The stockpile of oil for power supply during a disaster assumes the amount necessary to allow operations to continue for about five days under actual load conditions.

In order to ensure a stable supply of water, the abundant amount of well water available will not only be used to flush toilets, but in the event of a disaster, will be used as drinking water. An advanced water filtration system has been installed to purify the water to drinking level standards.
 Three days supply of non-potable water is stored to prepare for an increase in toilet use due to a sharp influx of disaster victims. In preparation for the possibility of damage to the well water facilities, this water is stored in non-potable water tanks buried outdoors, which can be replenished with water from a water truck.
 Care was taken to ensure water supply functions by installing several water supply pumps as well as duplex control panels.

If the entrance hall and waiting room in the hospital are not ventilated when patients affected by the disaster surge to the hospital, odors will linger and a sanitary environment will not be able to be maintained. By securing air conditioning and ventilation in large rooms such as the rehabilitation room, large conference room, and auditorium as well, these can be used as spaces to care for the victims of the disaster. With consideration of such operations during a disaster, the system was designed to have air conditioning and ventilation systems run on electricity provided by the emergency power generators, in order to ensure that each room has the minimum amount of ventilation and air conditioning necessary.

Medical facilities must provide meals for their inpatients even in the event of a disaster. Since many patients will not be able to eat hard biscuits and other stockpiled food, it would be important to serve warm and delicious meals. So that the kitchen can operate even in a disaster, kitchen functions are backed up by provision of emergency power, supply of hot and cold water, and a ventilated ceiling system with low ventilation rates.

In addition, the auditorium, which will be turned into a space to isolate infected patients during a pandemic, can be accessed directly from outdoors; has a medical gas outlet and medical power socket installed on the wall; and can provide air conditioning for infection control through an all-fresh-air mode operation.

 Assuming the possibility of bioterrorism, the tertiary emergency medical center has an emergency entrance with spraying facilities to decontaminate the whole ambulance, and a glass-enclosed primary treatment room that can be ventilated from the top and bottom.