A new temporary entrance to the Duke Eye Center will benefit patients while construction is ongoing.
Since April 2012, the parking area in front of the main entrance to the Eye Center has been blocked by construction of its new building, requiring patients entering the Center to navigate past the construction zone. The main entrance was replaced by a temporary patient entrance Monday. The new entrance, located at the north end of the building, aims to make patients’ travels easier, wrote Michael Howard, chief operating officer of the Duke Eye Center, in an email Tuesday.
“The new entrance opened yesterday allows for convenient patient drop-off and pick-up,” Howard wrote. “Patients have commented on how nice the new entrance appears and how much they look forward to coming to the new Eye Center.”
The creation of a new Eye Center building is the result of a $12 million donation from LC Industries—the largest employer of visually impaired people in the country, according to a publication from the Eye Center—in 2010.
Since that time, LC Industries has contributed an additional $4 million to the creation of the new building, said Marty Fisher, executive director of marketing and communications for Duke Medicine Development and Alumni Affairs.
The Eye Center’s current home, the Wadsworth building, is almost 40 years old and was intended to accommodate about a third of the patients the Center currently sees, Howard noted.
“The new clinical building has a friendly, patient-centric design that adds additional patient examination and treatment areas in a very attractive and patient comfortable setting,” he wrote.
In addition to improving workflow and maximizing patient care and convenience, the new building plans to incorporate state-of-the-art optical imaging technologies, a circular, covered patient drop-off area and an outdoor courtyard, according to the Eye Center website.
Meanwhile, steps have also been taken to ensure that patients—who may already have trouble navigating due to optical problems—are not further inconvenienced by the construction. Additional signs and personnel are being implemented to direct the patients, said Linda Bryant, a receptionist at the Eye Center.
“A few people have been getting lost in the past, but things are definitely getting easier for them,” Bryant said.
Though she noted that she had to navigate around for a bit to find the entrance, Eye Center patient Cheryl Wilkins said the experience was not too troublesome overall.
“It could be a lot worse,” said Wilkins, who walked to her appointment.
The construction has also caused changes in patient parking, as they can no longer use the parking lot in front of the main entrance.
“Before [the construction], there were two parking options—we either parked outside or used valet parking,” said William Thornton, a patient at the Eye Center. “Now we can park inside the garage, which is really helpful, especially when it rains.”
He added that the availability of the parking garage has lowered the cost for parking for him, as the garage costs $1 per hour for a maximum of six hours, whereas the valet charges a $7 flat fee.
While this change is good news to some, it may cause problems to others. Because handicap parking is in the same garage, the handicapped can no longer park for free, according to a patient notice issued by Howard.
The construction will be completed by 2015, Howard said in the notice.
“We are sure you will be impressed by the final result,” the notice read.
The article has been updated to reflect new information about LC Industries' donations to the new Eye Center.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.