Hospital project progresses
Construction crews recently poured concrete footers and foundation walls in preparation for the erection of the steel structure that will provide the framework for a new patient tower, which is part of the Uniontown Hospital’s two-year, $50 million building and renovation project.
“The footer and the foundation walls are complete,” said Don Record, the hospital’s vice president of support services. “The footer is what actually holds the foundation. The foundation walls also are complete.” Bifford Fagan, program manager for Burt Hill, the company that will oversee the construction, said it will take the concrete about three or four days to cure.
Fagan said a 450-ton crane will be delivered to the construction site on May 27 when large steel beams will arrive for construction. The crane is expected to begin lifting the beams into place about a week later.
During the steel erection phase, Record said the hospital will close a portion of Delaware Avenue from the stop sign to where the former Thompson Avenue was located. Uniontown Hospital’s police department will be on site directing traffic.
“This will cause a pretty major disturbance in traffic patterns for two weeks, but it’s really necessary during the construction while an estimated 75 to 80 truckloads of steel are delivered to the site,” Record said. “They will begin staging the steel. The steel is domestic, which means it was made in the U.S., and it will be coming on tractor-trailer trucks from Warren, Ohio. Ironworkers will be erecting the steel.”
The steel columns and trusses, which will be at least 50-feet in length, will remain on the trailers until the actual construction begins, according to Fagan.
Record said traffic for the hospital’s emergency room will not be interrupted during this phase of the project, and the hospital is making every effort not to inconvenience patients and visitors.
“We’re asking for patients to show some patience during the construction project,” Record said. “The new patient tower is being constructed at the opposite end of the hospital from the current patient rooms, so we’re hoping that patients aren’t disturbed by the noise.”
The four-floor patient tower will provide an additional 75,000 square feet of space, with a helipad for emergency medical helicopters located on the roof.
Fagan said the renovation of the hospital’s interior also is taking place, which includes expansion of the emergency department and consolidation of outpatient services on the hospital’s main floor. New walls have been built inside the hospital, and construction work is taking place behind those walls.
“A significant piece of the renovation is the expansion of the emergency department because of the volume of patients,” Record said.
The annual ER volume has increased 20 percent during the past five years. In 2002, 48,700 patients were seen in the hospital’s ER. By the end of this year, 56,000 patients are expected to be seen in the ER, according to statistics provided by Karen L. DeiCas, the hospital’s director of community relations and development.
The project will be funded by an $8.5 million advance on payments from Highmark, a capital fund-raising campaign of $7 million from the hospital family and the community and debt financing.
DeiCas, who is in charge of the capital fund-raising campaign, said a total of $5.7 million has been raised so far for the project. The hospital needs to raise an additional $1.3 million to reach its $7 million goal.
To help with this phase of the fund-raising campaign, DeiCas said the hospital has established a donor walkway for the “Campaign for a Healthy Future Capital Campaign.”
Businesses and community members are invited to become part of the expansion and renovation project by purchasing 4-by-8-inch bricks for $150 with three lines of text and 8-by-8-inch bricks for $500 with two lines of text and a logo. Anyone who is interested in making a donation to the campaign is asked to call the hospital’s development office at 724-430-5284.
“Everyone has seen the same type of a walkway at PNC Park or Heinz Field,” DeiCas said. “The bricks could be in honor or memory of someone or given as a birthday gift. This will definitely be the most challenging part of the fund-raising campaign.
The hospital’s priorities for the renovation and expansion project include:
– Building a new patient tower where 56 private rooms will be located.
– Expanding the emergency department capacity to serve additional patients.
– Consolidating outpatient services on the hospital’s main floor for patient convenience.
– Upgrading the hospital’s mechanical systems.
– Improving traffic patterns, safety and parking.
– Positioning facilities for future expansion.
herald_standa477:
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19680800