CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center, SMMC, is developing a coordinated relocation strategy based on the “Seven Movements of Healthcare” to guide the transfer of hospital services into the new St. Maarten General Hospital, SMGH.
The seven movements cover the areas that must be transferred or accommodated during the relocation: patients, staff, medications, supplies, information, equipment and families.
Together, they reflect the scale of moving an active hospital while maintaining access to emergency, inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic services. The strategy is intended to ensure that the transition involves more than the physical transfer of equipment and departments, with equal attention given to patients, relatives, employees, records, medication management and the continuity of care.
According to SMMC’s 2025 Annual Report, the relocation is expected to take place in four implementation phases over an estimated three-month period. The phased approach will determine the sequence in which departments and services move into the new facility, with the objective of limiting operational downtime and safeguarding patients and staff throughout the transition.
The report does not state when the first phase will begin or identify which department will move first. SMMC previously referred to a planned move-in during the second half of 2027, although the latest project timeline states that the main building is expected to be completed in 2027, followed by four months of installation, testing and commissioning before relocation. The projected completion date is toward the end of 2027 and remains provisional.
Six areas of readiness
The Seven Movements strategy forms part of a broader Activation and Transition Planning framework being used to prepare the institution for the move.
SMMC has divided its preparations into six readiness categories:
- Organizational readiness, providing project oversight and preparing the organization for the transition.
- People readiness, identifying staffing and training needs.
- Operational readiness, determining how departments will function individually and together.
- Technology readiness, aligning new systems and equipment with clinical operations.
- Facility readiness, coordinating the building’s operational ramp-up.
- Opening readiness, preparing for the safe delivery of patient care from the new facility.
The framework is intended to create a shared understanding of how the new hospital will operate across departments, while preparing employees to work confidently in a larger and more technologically advanced environment.
Operational planning is being led by an Operational Transition Project Manager in cooperation with the Facility Transition Project Manager. Departmental needs have been collected through stakeholder questionnaires and are being incorporated into the developing Move-In Plan.
The Management Team has also been holding weekly transition meetings to guide decisions and monitor progress across the different readiness categories.
Patient movement and continuity of care
Patient movement is expected to be one of the most sensitive parts of the relocation.
The transition plan must account for patients who are admitted when a department moves, those requiring intensive or emergency care, patients receiving dialysis and those scheduled for surgery, treatment or outpatient appointments.
It must also determine how emergency admissions and outpatient check-ins will function while departments are being transferred. SMMC said development priorities include patient admission and outpatient check-in processes, outpatient mapping and improved collaboration between departments.
The phased approach could require parts of the current hospital and SMGH to operate simultaneously during the transition. The annual report, however, does not provide operational details on how long both facilities may function at the same time.
Families included in the relocation plan
The inclusion of families as one of the seven movements recognizes that hospital care often extends beyond the patient.
Relatives and caregivers will need clear information about where patients are located, how to access the new hospital, changes to visiting arrangements and where to report for scheduled services.
Communication will therefore be critical before, during and after each phase of the move, particularly if services are temporarily divided between the current and new facilities.
Staff preparation and training
The movement of employees involves more than assigning staff to new rooms and workstations.
SMMC must determine future staffing needs, train employees to use new equipment and technology, test departmental workflows and ensure that staff understand how services will interact in the new building.
Technology-readiness activities during 2025 included training and workshops for the ICT Department in artificial intelligence, PACS medical-imaging services, Microsoft systems and the existing TruBridge electronic health-record environment.
Additional cybersecurity and data-protection training is planned. A concept IT Move-In Plan and the SMGH IT Strategic Document for 2025 to 2028 were also completed and reviewed.
Medications, supplies and information
The movement of medications and medical supplies will require detailed inventory planning to prevent shortages or interruptions.
Medication stocks must remain available at the correct location throughout the transition, while pharmacy, nursing and clinical teams will need to coordinate access during every phase.
Patient information must also be available wherever care is being delivered. This includes medical records, diagnostic results, medication histories, appointment information and internal clinical documentation.
SMMC said its planning includes documentation capabilities through Zenya DOC and Visio, alongside medical applications and workflow mapping.
Equipment selected with staff input
Medical equipment represents another major component of the transition. SMMC must decide which existing equipment can be moved, which items must remain operational until departments relocate and which new equipment will be installed directly at SMGH.
Multiple medical-equipment workshops were held with dedicated workgroups during 2025 to incorporate staff expertise into equipment selection. Supplier commitments were secured for several major and minor items, and an assessment was completed to determine which existing equipment could be transferred.
Patient-care employees also contributed to decisions involving equipment and other areas of the SMGH project, ensuring that clinical staff who will use the new spaces have a role in shaping them.
Staff members were given monthly guided tours of the construction site to observe progress and become familiar with the facility. Each tour began with a presentation on the project and the future hospital.
The Seven Movements of Healthcare framework provides the clearest indication to date of how SMMC intends to approach one of the most complex institutional relocations undertaken in St. Maarten.
The eventual success of the move will depend on detailed sequencing, staff preparation, technology testing, communication with patients and families, and the ability to maintain uninterrupted care while services are transferred.
A specific commencement date for the first phase and the order in which departments will relocate have not yet been disclosed.
