Crestron Solutions Improve Mission Critical Communication at St. Bernards Cancer Center

Integration firm Sound Concepts addressed problematic video conferencing and control systems at St. Bernards Cancer Center with a Crestron-centric solution that improves mission critical communication.

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Crestron Solutions Improve Mission Critical Communication at St. Bernards Cancer Center

St. Bernards Cancer Center is renowned for its innovative treatment, but it was badly in need of a back-office technology upgrade.

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It must be particularly satisfying when an integrated technology solution leads to a customer being more efficient at saving lives. That is certainly the case at St. Bernards Cancer Center where integration firm Sound Concepts leveraged Crestron solutions to address problematic video conferencing and control systems that were leading to communication breakdowns.

The renowned hospital in Jonesboro, Ark., was in need of an upgrade in its Ben E. Owens Cancer Center. It was a simple case of the communication solutions in place being difficult to use and leading to inefficient meetings.

10 great pics of the project at St. Bernards Cancer Center

Since St. Bernards Cancer Center has too much at stake to tolerate inefficiencies it sought to reconstruct their entire facility by providing employees with the most efficient solutions and processes to ensure patients have the most comforting experience possible, according to a case study of the project provided by Crestron.

“The flawless integration and simplicity of our new Crestron system saves us a tremendous amount of time and allows our staff to focus on providing our patients with a soothing and pleasant experience,” says Kevin Hawley, Cancer Services director at St. Bernards Cancer Center, in the case study.

Here is a rundown of the challenges, recommendations and results of the mission-critical project as highlighted in the Crestron case study.

Communication Challenges at St. Bernards Cancer Center

The staff at the Ben E. Owens Cancer Center lacked confidence in their AV systems. The technology within their conference rooms was inconsistent and led to communication breakdowns during meetings. Video conferencing also became problematic and led to a decrease in productivity during the staff’s weekly conference calls.

As a result, they needed to find a solution that allowed them to display multiple modalities on various screens to staff members on and off campus.

The Ben E. Owens Cancer Center was also looking for a solution that would allow all the digital signage displays and patient televisions located throughout the facility to be controlled from one location. Previously, in order to adjust individual televisions and displays, staff would have to do it manually. Redesigning the management of this process would provide the nurses and staff with tools to ease their workload and give them more time for their patients.

With their growing need for a reliable solution, St. Bernards knew it was time to upgrade their existing system.  They reached out to Ryan Heringer, President and Owner, and Jimmy Smith, Operations Manager at Sound Concepts Inc. to assist them with making their vision become reality.

Sound Concepts’ and Crestron’s Recommendation

  1. Create interactive conference rooms using reliable equipment to deliver a flawless collaboration between both on and off site members.
  2. Install equipment within conference rooms that pair easily with high quality microphones
  3. Implement a solution to allow the staff to control multiple displays and televisions from one location

Before the renovation, there were concerns regarding the integration of new technology. Kevin Hawley, Cancer Services Director at St. Bernards Medical Center, wanted to ensure the new solution was secure and reliable. With Crestron technology already present in multiple buildings across campus, St. Bernards and Sound Concepts decided to move forward with using Crestron solutions for this project to maintain uniformity and reduce the learning curve for employees.

“The successful completion of this project offered us the opportunity to provide our patients, many of whom come to us from rural communities, with a multidisciplinary approach that is often only available at major metropolitan facilities,” said Kevin Hawley, St. Bernards Medical Center, Cancer Services Director.

Thanks to Sound Concepts and Crestron, the Ben E. Owens Cancer Center was able to integrate custom AV platforms throughout their conference rooms, fusion bays, private rooms and lobbies. The project took a total of nine months to complete from beginning to end, including renovation of the building and the full installation process.

Now, Crestron’s 4K DigitalMedia technology allows meeting attendees to share and distribute content making it easy to communicate from any point in the room. With the new solution in place there is no need to constantly configure the lighting, audio and orientation of the content on the screen during conferences, which leads to a dramatic increase in productivity.

“The successful completion of this project offered us the opportunity to provide our patients, many of whom come to us from rural communities, with a multidisciplinary approach that is often only available at major metropolitan facilities,” said Hawley.

10 great pics of the project at St. Bernards Cancer Center

Throughout the facility, the staff can control each television from a centralized location using a 5” Crestron touch screen. Sound Concepts created a custom interface, which features a map that includes all of the displays and televisions throughout the Ben E. Owens Cancer Center. This interface makes changing the channel, turning televisions on-and-off, and updating hospital announcements easy from one location.

“Working with Crestron allowed us to give St. Bernards Medical Center exactly what they wanted. The level of customization Crestron allows our team to develop and install custom solutions that are specifically designed for our customers and deliver long lasting results,” said Jimmy Smith, Operations Manager at Sound Concepts Inc.

Resulting in a More Productive Environment

Following their renovation at the Ben E. Owens Cancer Center, the staff was amazed by how simple and straightforward the Crestron technology was to use. The newly integrated technology created a productive work environment with easy-to-navigate signage and television displays, simple collaboration solutions in all three conference rooms, and state-of- the-art fusion bays. Each fusion bay has been redesigned and now provides patients access to a personal television equipped with cable and two pairs of headphones for them and a guest to enjoy entertainment while receiving their transfusion treatments.

Overall, the tremendous effort that Crestron, Sound Concepts, Kevin Hawley and the rest of the installation crew put forward contributed to rewarding results at St. Bernards Cancer Center.

Crestron Equipment List:

  • DMPS3-300-C 3-Series DigitalMedia Presentation System 300
  • DM-RMC-4K-100-C 4K DigitalMedia Receiver and Room Controller 100
  • FT-600  FlipTop Basic
  • FTA-PWR FlipTop AC Power Outlet Module
  • CEN-CI3-1 3-Series Card Interface – 1 Slot
  • CEN-CI3-3 3-Series Card Interface – 3 Slot
  • PW-4818DU 90w PoDM Power Pack for DMPS

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