Versatile use of the gymnasium and halls contributes to the mental and physical wellbeing and professional development of healthcare professionals

Located in the northeastern part of Hokkaido, the Okhotsk region (tertiary medical care area) covers a vast area, yet the number of doctors in the population is much lower than the average for the entire prefecture. Kitami Red Cross Hospital is the only hospital with an emergency medical center, and is regarded as a key hospital with various advanced functions such as a regional center hospital, a perinatal maternal and child medical center, a base hospital for collaborative cancer treatment, a regional medical support hospital, and a regional disaster medical center hospital. In 2012, the hospital began large-scale renovation work to renew the functions of its aging and cramped facilities. The main building was first relocated and newly constructed on the site of the adjacent Kitami City Hall building, which was relocated to a new location. The main building is equipped with the Okhotsk PET Center, which was opened in response to requests from the community, a palliative care ward, and a heliport. After the opening of the main building, the North Building, which was renovated and expanded from the existing building, was opened with a grand opening in March 2016 to mark the 80th anniversary of its foundation. At the same time, the Hokkaido Prefectural Kitami Hospital, which has the only cardiovascular surgery department in the Okhotsk area, was relocated and connected to the adjacent site to enhance emergency and acute care.
In this large-scale facility improvement, the multipurpose hall "Mint" was added to the side of the North Building to provide a function previously unavailable in the old facility. Equipped with 154 retractable seating, it is used for lectures and training sessions, and also serves as a gymnasium. We interviewed Mr. Naoki Shibuya, Manager of the General Affairs Section, and Mr. Nobuyuki Takamatsu, Chief of the General Affairs Section and Business Section, who are involved in the management of this hall, about the role of this multi-purpose hall.

Constructed on the site of the former City Hall as a key city center facility

――I understand that the main building was constructed on the site of the former Kitami City Hall building.

Mr. Shibuya

Yes. Following extensive discussions with Kitami City regarding the large-scale improvement of the aging facilities, we decided that the Kitami Red Cross Hospital should be located in a place that is easily accessible to the citizens, so we relocated and built a new main building on the site of the former City Hall. In addition, the hospital is designated as a regional disaster medical center　hospital and is required to function as a base hospital for disaster medical care, including the acceptance of injured and sick patients in the event of a disaster. Therefore, in order to be able to coordinate a response in the event of a disaster, the small park in front of the building, which serves as a temporary evacuation site for citizens, was also redeveloped together with the hospital.

Mr. Takamatsu

The current site of the New North Building is where the Kitami Red Cross Hospital used to stand, and the City Hall building was located next to it. The former South Building was renovated into the new North Building, while the other former West, East, and North Buildings were demolished, and the site was developed into a parking lot and other facilities. The multipurpose hall "Mint" was extended as a lateral addition to the new North Building.

Mr. Shibuya

Later, the Hokkaido Prefectural Kitami Hospital was relocated and reconstructed on our premises. Although both hospitals are in separate buildings, they are connected by a corridor on the third floor where the operating rooms are located. The Hokkaido Prefectural Kitami Hospital has a cardiovascular surgery department that we do not have, so by strengthening cooperation between the two hospitals and complementing each other’s functions, we have established a system able to provide a certain degree of emergency and acute care in the Okhotsk area. In addition, since 2018, the Japanese Red Cross Society has been the designated administrator of the Hokkaido Prefectural Kitami Hospital, operating in unison with our hospital.
The site where the Prefectural Kitami Hospital is located was originally the site of the Kitami Red Cross School of Nursing. The said school was closed due to the opening of the Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido College of Nursing in Kitami City.

――I heard that the new building is regarded as a base facility for the revitalization of the city center, and that the design concepts are "an urban landmark hospital connected to the city" and "a hospital adjacent to a park".

Mr. Takamatsu

That’s right. The atrium next to the main entrance facing the park is regarded as a common space open to the community. It also has a café and restaurant, so it may also serve as a place of relaxation for residents. Before the pandemic, the main entrance to the hospital was open on weekends. The bread sold in the hospital's café was quite popular, and I think that quite a few people came just to buy the bread.

Multipurpose hall "Mint" frequently used as a gymnasium

――Was it decided from the beginning to build a hall when you constructed and renovated this new building?

Mr. Shibuya

The previous facility also had a gymnasium. This time, however, we decided to make the facility usable not only as a gymnasium but also for other purposes, so it became a multipurpose hall with retractable seating. This format enables sports as a staff welfare facility, and the retractable seating can be used for lectures and educational training.
Since the hospital's employees play a variety of sports in their club activities, it is usually used as a gymnasium, and the retractable seating is only put out for lectures and training sessions. There are several meeting rooms in the hospital, but when it comes to lectures, there are only a limited number of places where they can be held. In addition to this room, we have a large conference room that can accommodate 50 to 60 people, so if we can't fit everyone in the large conference room, we use this room. However, we often selected the "Mint" building during the pandemic due to its  larger space.

――What do the staff think about the retractable seating?

Mr. Shibuya

There are many staff members who have never seen the retractable seating put in and out, so even our veteran employees are surprised when they see it for the first time. At the previous hospital, we had to line up all the chairs for lectures and other events, so the retractable seating has really made things easier.
We invited the general public to a brass band concert at the Mint's "opening" event, so they were surprised to learn that it was possible to hold a music concert there as well. In the past, the idea was to rent a civic hall or other large venue for large lectures that would not fit in the conference room. It is very convenient and financially beneficial to hold a variety of events at our own facility.

――I have never known of a hospital hall with retractable seating being used as a gymnasium. How often do you use the gymnasium for sports?

Mr. Takamatsu

Staff clubs such as futsal, volleyball, and badminton use the gymnasium for practices and games, although not every day. In addition to that, we also use it for rehabilitation in outpatient psychiatric day care. We use this facility three or four times a week as well for a variety of exercises, including those using a ball.
On weekdays, the gymnasium is used frequently, mainly for psychiatric day care in the morning, for training in the afternoon and evening, and for club practice after 7:00 p.m.

Mr. Shibuya

The Red Cross Hospital is so active in sports that it even holds a national tournament as the Red Cross Hospital Sports Festival. I am not sure if every hospital has a gymnasium or not, but I think every hospital has sports club activities. By the way, I am in the baseball club (laughs). In the case of baseball, we borrow the sports ground of a high school in the city for practice, and I guess we use "Mint" for winter practice.
In fact, in 2023, we held the opening ceremony of the Red Cross Hospital Sports Festival Hokkaido Block at Mint. The Hokkaido branch of the Japanese Red Cross Society has 10 hospitals, and so baseball, volleyball, and futsal players and officials from those hospitals gathered here. The Sports Festival had been suspended for a while due to the pandemic, so this was the first time in several years that the Festival had been held.

――It seems that sports have a positive effect on the staff members.

Mr. Takamatsu

I believe that physical exercise is good for a change of pace and to refresh oneself.

Mr. Shibuya

Also, belonging to a club allows me to get to know people from various professions in the hospital, which in turn makes my job easier. It also allows me to make more friends as well as many other positive effects.
For this reason, during the orientation immediately following a new employee's arrival ceremony, time is set aside to introduce club activities. However, new employees work hard to learn their jobs first, and not many have the time to join club activities from the start, so we create an environment where they can join once they have got used to the work and have settled down a bit.

As a linchpin supporting emergency and disaster medical care in the Okhotsk region

――How is it used as a hall?

Mr. Takamatsu

When used as a hall, it can accommodate more than 200 people by arranging chairs in front of the 154-seat retractable seating. The hospital hosts regular public lectures on topics such as cancer and dementia, consultations on medical wigs and postoperative underwear and care products for breast cancer, and Red Cross safety courses. In November, we also held a "Black Jack Seminar," an interactive surgical seminar aimed at children. These events are basically planned by the department in charge, with support from the General Affairs Section when necessary.
In terms of lectures, various Hokkaido Chapter academic conferences are held here, including those in surgery, neurosurgery, and palliative care.

Mr. Shibuya

Other than that, we also use the hall for training sessions for specialist doctor certification. To qualify as a medical specialist, you are required to attend across-the-board training sessions, and we conduct training sessions on "medical safety," "medical ethics," and "infection control," which are common to medical specialists in all departments. Whenever there is a workshop or training session related to any facility, we alert our partner medical institutions, so many people gather.
This allows students to take courses and earn credits in Kitami City, whereas in the past they had to travel to Tokyo, Sapporo, or other locations. The fact that we are now able to offer courses related to these qualifications is a great advantage, which everyone seems to be pleased with.

――Can any hospital offer such a training course?

Mr. Shibuya

It is possible to offer this at any hospital, but in addition to the location issue, it is also important to have instructors who can conduct the training. I have never heard of such large-scale training being held anywhere else in the Okhotsk region.
As a designated hospital for clinical training, we take our role in training and educating medical personnel very seriously. Therefore, in addition to holding training sessions, we accept a wide range of visitors and practical training for all positions, including residents, nursing students, co-medicals, and administrative staff.
The hospital also provides education and training for paramedics. In 2016, an emergency workstation was opened in the hospital to provide practical training for paramedics in collaboration with medical and fire agencies. The emergency workstation's first aid team can also operate an ambulance with a doctor and nurse riding in the ambulance because the hospital is the base of operations. Previously, training to ride in an ambulance with a doctor was not available without going to Sapporo or other places, but at our hospital, doctors and nurses actually ride together to provide training in the ambulance, which has been very much appreciated.

Mr. Takamatsu

Also, as I mentioned earlier, our hospital is a Hokkaido Disaster Center Hospital, and the multipurpose hall "Mint" is an area for receiving patients with minor illnesses. Since the patients have minor illnesses, it is anticipated that a certain number of patients will come to the hospital, so the large space provided by Mint is very effective.

――You really fulfill a variety of roles in regional medical care in Kitami City and the Okhotsk region, don't you?

Mr. Shibuya

Although this hospital was founded by the Japanese Red Cross Society, it was supported by Kitami City at the time of its establishment. In addition to Kitami City, many other municipalities in the Okhotsk region have also helped us develop this large-scale facility. Despite not being a public hospital, it could be said that it does play a role as a "public" medical institution.
In this sense, we believe that not only medical collaboration but also collaboration with other organizations in the community, such as nursing and welfare facilities and government, including public health centers, will be important. We have seen the importance of this in the COVID pandemic and have already begun to approach some organizations. I believe that we must reaffirm our hospital's role in the community and work closely with various organizations in the future.

――I can understand that the Kitami Red Cross Hospital is very important not only in Kitami City but also in the Okhotsk area, and that the hospital is valued by the community. Thank you very much for your time today.