Build What Matters with Kathryn

Healthcare construction has a profound real-world impact. The facilities we build are essential, serving as places of healing, work, and innovation every single day. On my first healthcare project, a big challenge was coordination for high-end infant care centers with integral warmer cabinets for the Labor and Delivery suites. These were added late to the project by the staff to enhance patient care. The process was difficult and, at times, tiresome. However, when a friend texted me a photo of the unit in use with her first-born months later, I was able to realize the true impact of our work. This experience taught me to approach each project with focus and precision, knowing the benefits to friends, family, neighbors and my community. I try to always emphasize this sentiment to my team – imparting that one day, their own families might need this facility.

Working on the new heart and vascular tower project at Advent Health Littleton (AHL) has been particularly enlightening. I have gotten the opportunity to walk with the foundation board members, doctors and staff of the new tower. Each story that they tell is personal and they walk us through how a patient received care, and the enhancement in care that they will receive when the new tower opens. The staff share their stories with photos of their patients – many of whom are their family members. Staff and doctors have shared that this tower has been in the works for decades and that the impact on the community will be significant in lowering recovery times and innovative procedures. At the new tower, patients of AHL requiring complex heart surgery will now receive the specialized care they need without having to be transferred to other hospitals. Additionally, individuals from the surrounding community will have AHL as a closer facility for the advanced cardiac care they may need.

In the rapidly evolving world of technology and innovation, healthcare construction faces unique challenges. Designs conceived two or three years ago may already need to adapt to new medical technologies that emerge during the construction phase. We emphasize future-proofing rooms to accommodate upcoming advancements. To ensure this, we install the MEP and low-voltage systems to be flexible and easily accessible for future equipment, which requires lots of 3D coordination with the designers and engineers. Providing full as-built 3D models after construction or doing laser scanning with a renovation project allows us to use the information from the models to ensure a proper fit and service by the systems.

While architects craft the initial designs, the construction team isn’t on the front line with patients. To ensure facilities meet real-world needs, we actively involve hospital staff and facilities managers in the design process. By consulting with those who provide direct patient care, we build patient-focused spaces that truly cater to their needs.

This approach includes comprehensive field walks with various departments and different shifts to gather insights. We conduct “box walks” before drywall installation and utilize Virtual Reality (VR) technology to visualize equipment placements in patient rooms. This collaborative process ensures we consider critical details like handwash stations, electrical outlets, and medical gas lines, creating spaces that are as functional as they are innovative.

VR technology bridges the gap between construction and real-world use, allowing staff to experience the space before it’s complete. This helps ensure an optimal patient experience from the moment they walk in. Features like nourishment stations, coffee bars, and thoughtfully designed waiting rooms enhance comfort and convenience. By streamlining the patient’s experience and focusing on their needs, hospitals can attract more patients in a competitive market. VR enables us to build the best facilities, ensuring patients choose the best hospitals for their care.

The individualization of each of the departments like prep/post rooms, patient rooms, imaging departments, sterile processing departments, and operating rooms, are each unique, posing each of their challenges to overcome. Each of these department heads and end users provides insight and feedback into the facilities being built. The extended collaboration between the end users and construction team leads to stronger relationships and better problem-solving, creating the best environment for a successful project.

Any healthcare construction team is vast, comprising numerous skilled professionals and sophisticated trade partners who excel in their crafts. These experts are not just cogs in the wheel; they are true partners in the building process. We continuously learn from their dedicated expertise, enhancing the quality and efficiency of our projects.

The complexities that go into healthcare construction are what make it the rewarding construction type that it is.  As a people person, the community and collaboration between the healthcare professionals, administrative staff, and construction team create the most rewarding experience. When these facilities are complete, and all the end users are happy, it no longer matters how challenging it was to get there.