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THE EYE INSTITUTE TO MAKE $10 MILLION INVESTMENT IN OAK LANE FACILITY

April 29 Groundbreaking Scheduled for Patient-Friendly, Contemporary Building Expansion

Photos by Steven Goldblatt Photography

PHILADELPHIA, PA---The Eye Institute (TEI) of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University broke ground on a construction project that will expand, redesign, renovate and dramatically enhance the existing facility. The “New” Eye Institute groundbreaking was held April 29, 2010. The project will transform the Godfrey Avenue facility into a state-of-the-art facility that will optimize the delivery of patient services and foster a quality learning environment for students.

About the Eye Institute: A Valued Resource for More than 90 Years
The Pennsylvania College of Optometry began offering clinical services in Philadelphia in 1920 and opened The Eye Institute at its current Godfrey Avenue location in 1978. For over 30 years, The Eye Institute has been an unrivaled setting for comprehensive eye care and an important component of the Philadelphia health care community.   Located in the Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, The Eye Institute employs a multi-disciplinary approach teaming optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians, ophthalmic technicians, and other health care professionals to provide complete, quality eye and vision care to the community it serves.

Similar to a teaching hospital, TEI and its satellite practices serve as the clinical educational facility for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University.  Each year, TEI’s nearly 50 doctors, along with the interns that they mentor, provide the highest quality care during nearly 50,000 patient visits each year. TEI’s mission is to provide competent, comprehensive, and patient-centered eye and vision care to all who seek services, while at the same time providing the highest quality clinical education to the optometry interns.

The Renovation Project: Responding to Changing Times
TEI received many awards for its forward-thinking design when it opened its doors in 1978, but as the rate and role of technology in society have accelerated, the original building struggled to accommodate these advances. “Educationally and technically our staff and students maintained a high level of performance and expertise, but so much is now dependent on technology, that adapting TEI to support the latest technology was critical,” commented Thomas L. Lewis, OD, PhD, Salus University President. “As we moved forward with these plans we realized that this was a great opportunity to enhance the patient experience and to improve the learning environment for our students.”

The result is a functional and attractive 14,000-square-foot expansion that will allow all patient care services to occur on one level -- a design that better meets patient demand.

“This renovation is all about convenience for patients and functionality for students and staff,” commented Susan C. Oleszewski, OD, Vice-President for Patient Care Services at TEI. “Our patients, students and faculty have so many demands to deal with that we wanted to make sure that their experience with TEI was productive and efficient. For example, we will improve patient flow by creating one main entrance; centralizing patient check-in near the entrance; and locating an eyewear center next to that entrance.”

Renovation highlights include:

  • A design that supports efficient, high-quality patient care and respects patient confidentiality
  • Integration of electronic health records
  • A lower level that will allow for all patient care to occur entirely on one level
  • Administrative offices located on the upper level, including 12,000 square feet of un-renovated space that can accommodate future growth
  • Three primary care suites, a pediatric suite and a specialty suite, which includes  – referral ophthalmologic services, vision rehabilitative services, and special diagnostic testing
  • An expanded eyewear center, which includes more than 2,100 square feet of retail space

“TEI is proud to polish this jewel of Oak Lane. We are undertaking this $10 million project and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on the community, students, faculty and the future of eye care,” noted Linda Casser, OD, FAAO, Dean,  Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University.

The project’s estimated completion date is late spring 2011.

About the Groundbreaking
The groundbreaking took place on April 29 at 3:00 pm at The Eye Institute on Godfrey Avenue in Philadelphia. Following a presentation by Salus President Dr. Thomas L.  Lewis, Vice-President for Patient Care Services, Dr. Susan Oleszewski, and local dignitaries, participants were invited to review schematic plans and enjoy light refreshments.

More News about the Project

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The Eye Institute Influences the Lives of Two Local Students

For six weeks during the summer of 2009, two Martin Luther King High School seniors learned what it was like to work along side primary eye care doctors, optometric interns and support staff at The Eye Institute (TEI). Donye Rosser and Tamieka Tomlinson applied to intern at TEI through Philadelphia Academies, Inc. (www.academiesinc.org)

While both students participated in everything from confirming patient appointments to filing and observing examinations, they also learned about other interesting areas in eye care delivery. Tomlinson is interested in medicine, with thoughts of becoming a neurologist. She was particularly interested in her time spent with Dr. Kelly Malloy, who manages TEI patients suffering from vision problems with neurological symptoms. “Some people have [vision] disorders and people don’t often take the time to think it’s because a side of their brain isn’t working properly,” she said. Rosser enjoyed taking and viewing photographs of the retina (back of the eye). “It’s not everyday you get to look at the back of someone’s eye,” he said. Of their overall experiences during their time at TEI, both were excited and grateful, noting that vision involves a lot more than what people generally think.
“It was a good experience for me,” Tomlinson said. “This internship at The Eye Institute provided me with a great start to understanding the health care field. I received a lot of guidance from the doctors and interns.”  


Wagner Middle School's Nurse Packer stands prodly beside pictures of her students sporting their new eyeglasses.
Wagner Middle School's Nurse Joanne Packer stands proudly beside pictures of her students sporting their new eyeglasses. (Photo by Alexis Abate)

The Bright Eyes Of Wagner Middle School Shine at TEI

“It’s my most favorite thing,” Nurse Joanne Packer of General Louis Wagner Middle School, 1701 W. Chelten Ave., said about her long-standing partnership with The Eye Institute (TEI). Since first taking her students to visit TEI, she has come to value the services offered as a neighborhood resource to her students and their families. “The partnership we have with TEI has provided me with a wealth of resources in terms of getting kids vision screenings and identifying children with more complex eye problems, which might not have been picked up on a regular screening,” she said. Being able to screen dozens of kids in one morning, which could take Packer two weeks to accomplish, allows her to use her time more effectively.

Adolescence is a time when eyes are changing quickly. Some of Packer’s students experience more complicated vision problems. Kids who never needed glasses or who should have received them sooner are identified for the first time through TEI screenings. Some kids who’ve worn glasses everyday also have rapid progression of their vision problems. At this age, parents often take their children to the eye doctors twice as much.

But, parents are eager to become involved and so are the kids. Many children have that “aha” moment when they first try on their glasses – now realizing the benefits of seeing clearly.

To keep the kids’ interest, Packer developed a fun tradition. Each time a student receives a new pair of glasses, he/she takes a photo - donning various facial expressions - which are on display (pictured to the right) on the walls in TEI’s pediatric department.

“This program (TEI’s partnership with The School District of Philadelphia) has done such wonders for the children to provide them with the ability to be able to see,” she said