 | Gary Falcetto is the Director of Engineering at Via Christi Hospital Pittsburg. He has worked at the hospital for 35 years, the last 16 as the Engineering Director. He is also a member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers (ASHE) and has played integral roles during Via Christi’s renovation and construction projects.
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Health & Wellness
2012-02-28 13:44:05
Learning from the May 22nd tornado
Q: Explain the recent project Via Christi Hospital underwent to increase patient safety in regards to the May 22 tornado that struck Joplin, Mo.
A: After talking with officials at St. John’s Hospital in Joplin, we realized what a danger flying glass was to patients, visitors and employees when the EF-5 tornado hit on May 22. We wanted to explore options that were available to help our ministry should we find ourselves in severe weather of that nature. One of the solutions we identified pertained to preventing window glass from flying inside the hospital should it be hit by flying debris.
Q: What solution did the hospital choose for its windows?
A: We found a material that acts like a very thick plastic covering on the inside of the windows, and then is held together by an interior frame. The plastic is 12-mil thick, and was applied to 88 windows in our hospital. We covered all corridor windows in floors two through five, all of our Intensive Care room windows, and the five windows that will be used for Labor and Delivery in our new Women’s Center that will open this spring.
Q: How does this plastic covering work?
A: The plastic covering keeps the pieces of glass from blowing inside the hospital in the event a window should break. While a piece of debris may break the window itself, this plastic keeps the glass from shattering and falling. It’s the same concept used on car windshields these days. In the event of a crash, the window glass does not shatter into thousands of pieces and fall on the driver and passengers. Instead it cracks, but the windshield itself is staying intact.
Q: Where else has this plastic been used that you know of?
A: The company we used, Hanita TEK Windows is out of Dallas, Texas, and they do business not only around the nation, but around the world. While we are using the product to “tornado-proof” our windows in Southeast Kansas, there are other buildings that use it for other reasons, including “hurricane-proofing” windows on the Gulf Coast. We were also pleased to learn that Hanita TEK also does work on government buildings and those surrounding them. The plastic covering on the windows makes them blast resistant in the event of an attack.
Q: What are employees saying about the window project?
A: We’ve had nurses who were here the evening of the May 22 tornado, recounting that night and not thinking about the danger the windows posed. Now we know how dangerous that glass can be during severe weather, and they have said that they are extremely appreciative of what we’re doing to make the patients, and our nursing staff, safer.
