As Phase 3 of the $56 million renovation gets underway, Senior Project Manager Rita Hendricks remains laser focused on her goal to enhance the patient experience for all women in North Texas. This is not an easy task, considering the facility already holds the reputation as a premier women’s healthcare center for women and infants in Dallas and surrounding areas.

“Medical care has changed in the past 40 years. Our goal is to create living spaces where women can find a sanctuary for rest and healing. Everything we touch is designed for the patient, from the color of the walls to the lamps in the room.”

Hendricks says that collaborating with the nursing staff at the Margot Perot Women’s Center is key to the project’s success. “Our charge nurses are dreams to work with. They are impervious to any inconveniences we create by this renovation. When we touch a patient area, we try to touch the staff as well. We want to create an environment that is seamlessly designed.”

For example, the initial operating room design placed the suction cups on the farthest wall from the doorway. This made it difficult for the nurses to view and check equipment from the doorway during their rounds. Rita immediately contacted the interior designer to tweak the design to make them viewable from the door. This small change will make a large impact on the day-to-day care nurses provide for their patients.

“I encourage the staff to never settle. We want what’s best for them because it impacts the patients they treat. The quality of care here is special, and we want it to continue for decades to come.”

Recently, Hendricks was able to get an up close, personal view of the new enhancements when her niece delivered her baby at the center and recovered in one of the newly renovated rooms. “As a female project manager, it’s so gratifying to see how the job I do day-to-day improves the experience for the women we provide services to, from maternity to women’s surgeries.”