PC built five new whimsically-themed pediatric examination rooms and a secured waiting space dedicated to pediatric patients. Also completed were updates to the team station and major renovations to the existing patient check-in area and security office.

The project was completed in the midst of ongoing operations at Vermont’s largest and busiest medical center. PC coordinated all efforts to eliminate potential disruptions to patient care, including comprehensive wayfinding, sequencing of loud activities during off-hours and temporarily relocating several staff offices. PC also worked with the providers to coordinate partial hallway shutdowns to allow uninterrupted day-to-day activities.

This multi-phase project enhances UVM Medical Center’s emergency pediatric care by providing an inviting, comfortable environment in a segregated area tailored to caring for the region’s youngest patients.

The post PC Completes Upgrades to University of Vermont Medical Center Emergency Department appeared first on PC Construction.

In total, the new Kendall Emergency Department includes two new trauma rooms, a behavioral health suite with five psychiatric holding rooms, 16 new and renovated patient rooms, support spaces in addition to the Stout Thomson Waiting Area and Outpatient Registration, Richard and Pamela Ader Foundation Lobby and the Marro Café. Exterior enhancements included a new main entrance with canopies and a new two-story atrium.

SVMC’s most ambitious construction project in the last 40 years, the new and updated space allows the medical center to better care for the current and emerging needs of their patient population in an expanded and modernized setting.

The post Ribbon Cut on SVMC’s New Emergency Department appeared first on PC Construction.

In total, the facility houses two new trauma rooms, a behavioral health suite with five psychiatric holding rooms, 16 new and renovated patient rooms, support spaces and registration areas in addition to the Richard and Pamela Ader Foundation Lobby and the Marro Café. Exterior enhancements include a new main entrance with canopies and a new two-story atrium.

The post New Emergency Department Open to Vermont Patients appeared first on PC Construction.

The 41,000-square-foot facility will provide a safe, secure, and therapeutic environment for patients. Constructed with separate wings for male and female residents, the hospital will include treatment spaces such as a medical treatment suite, recreational therapy areas, a vocational kitchen, group meeting rooms, a library/chapel, seclusion rooms, dining space and visitation rooms. Exterior yards will provide space for patient exercise and exposure to the outdoors.

Construction is underway with completion scheduled for the summer of 2025.

Check out the WMUR Channel 9 coverage!

Photo: Mike Leonard, Vice President of PC Construction; Ellen Lapointe, CEO of New Hampshire Hospital; Governor Chris Sununu; Commissioner Lori Weaver; and Tim Whitman, Chief Operating Officer of New Hampshire Hospital join together to break ground on the Secure Psychiatric Unit Forensic Hospital.

The post Groundbreaking Celebrated for New Secure Psychiatric Unit appeared first on PC Construction.

Essex, VT

The one-story, 20,000-square-foot, secure residence will address the state’s critical need for step-down mental health facilities for Vermonters. Designed by Freeman French Freeman and Lavallee Brensinger Architects, the residence features patient rooms, an art studio, an exercise gym, a dining area, a kitchen where residents can learn and practice food preparation skills, and an outdoor patio with green space. The facility also accommodates 24/7 onsite nursing care. During their stays – which are expected to average 10 months – residents will continue to receive appropriate therapy and also develop social and life skills to support their transition to independent living.

Prior to this facility coming online, Vermont only had 7 step-down beds at a temporary facility in Middlesex, which consistently operated near or at capacity. So patients who were ready to start transitioning back into the community often had nowhere to go, and continued to occupy limited inpatient hospital beds for months at a time. That meant that, further up the chain, Vermonters in crisis lingered in emergency rooms, waiting for a bed to open up in one of the state’s inpatient treatment programs.

“PC Construction is proud of the health care projects we construct in Vermont and beyond,” said PC President / CEO Matt Cooke. “This is our way of helping ensure our neighbors and family members get great quality health care in modern and state-of-the-art facilities. Vermont has a shortage of mental health facilities, and this residence will offer relief to the system and help more Vermonters get the health care they need in the right setting.”

The post PC Construction Completes Mental Health Recovery Residence appeared first on PC Construction.

Portland, ME – PC Construction recently accepted a Best Builders Award from AGC Maine for the Brunswick Health Care Center, a new, state-of-the-art patient clinic for Martin’s Point Health Care.

The new center consolidates Brunswick’s two existing aging clinics at this new 54,000-square-foot facility to offer 63 exam rooms and 8 procedure rooms. The facility was designed with future growth in mind. The structural steel and concrete roof deck can accommodate an additional 20,000 square feet of space on the second level without structural modifications.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forever changing the way health care facilities operate, innovative design enhancements were made during the construction phase without significantly impacting schedule. A separate entrance was built to isolate potentially infectious patients and a suite of rooms were designed to be easily isolated from the rest of the facility by simply constructing temporary walls. In addition, several exam rooms were turned into negative air suites by adding dedicated exhaust fans with high-efficiency filters to further mitigate the spread of airborne pathogens.

“This project is a great example of how creativity and strong teamwork in design and construction can have a tremendous impact on a community,” said PC President and CEO Jay Fayette. “The timing of the pandemic at the start of construction presented significant challenges that we leveraged into amazing opportunities. We’re very grateful to our design partners, SMRT Architects and Sebago Technics, and to the owner, Martin’s Point Health Care, for helping deliver a beautiful and nimble health care facility. And we thank Maine’s Association of General Contractors for recognizing these efforts.”

The project was completed in August 2021, on time and under budget.

The award was presented at AGC Maine’s annual Build Maine Awards event, which honors the state’s best construction projects from the previous year. Nominees are evaluated by a panel of judges representing the state’s design, engineering, construction and owner communities, and criteria include safety, innovation, contribution to the community, environmental sensitivity, and demonstrated ability to meet the challenge of a difficult job.

The post PC Construction Wins AGC Maine “Best Builders Award” for New Brunswick Health Care Center appeared first on PC Construction.

The new two-story clinic includes 63 exam rooms and 8 procedure rooms, space for x-ray, ultrasound and mammography, patient waiting areas, provider and staff spaces, a physical therapy gym, and a testing laboratory. The facility was designed with future growth in mind. The structural steel and concrete roof deck can accommodate an additional 20,000 square feet of space on the second level without structural modifications.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forever changing the way all health care facilities operate, innovative design enhancements were made during the construction phase without significantly impacting the construction schedule. A separate entrance was built to isolate potentially infectious patients and a suite of rooms were designed to be easily isolated from the rest of the facility by simply constructing temporary walls. In addition, several exam rooms were turned into negative air suites by adding dedicated exhaust fans with high-efficiency filters to further mitigate the spread of airborne pathogens.

One of the most complicated aspects of the project was the construction of the prefabricated roof trusses. The trusses were large and presented complex installation and safety challenges, not only for the crew erecting them, but also for anyone working nearby. PC decided to assemble the trusses into pods at ground level before hoisting each pod into place to allow for the metal roof decking and plywood substrate to be installed on each assembly prior to setting in place. The truss pods were also erected and set into their final resting place on weekends to eliminate impacts to activities on or around the site. This decision was the safest installation option and also resulted in time and cost efficiencies.

The project, with core partners SMRT and Sebago Technics, was completed in August 2021, on time and under budget.

The post PC Awarded AGC Build Maine Award for Health Care Center appeared first on PC Construction.

The project will modernize the emergency department and expand the presence of teleEmergency service in coordination with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. Designed by Lavallee Brensinger, work includes an addition and renovation to include new trauma rooms, a behavioral health suite, exam rooms, support spaces, and waiting and registration areas. The exterior will receive a revised main entrance and canopies, including a new two-story atrium.

The new facility will incorporate many features critical to modern health care space. Touch-free motion-activated doors and walls will provide privacy and enhanced infection prevention. The entire department will be equipped with negative pressure to aid in the control of air-borne illness. And the addition of high-acuity, low-acuity, and collaborative care areas are expected to reduce wait times and improve the patient and provider experience.

Learn more about this exciting project: https://svhealthcare.org/EDRenovation.

The post Construction Underway for SVHC Emergency Department Modernization appeared first on PC Construction.

The one-story facility, which is designed by Lavallee Brensinger Architects and Freeman French Freeman, will include secure patient residence rooms, a secure outdoor patio and green space, a resident skills kitchen and dining area, a multipurpose room and exercise space. The design is focused on providing a recovery-oriented environment that allows for both therapeutic services and a connection to nature for Vermonters facing mental health challenges.

Upon completion, the facility will provide care for adults who no longer need inpatient hospital care, but who still need extensive services in a secure setting. There are currently no other permanent, secure residential facilities with the services planned for this site.

We are excited to work with a host of talented and local partners to complete construction by the end of 2022.

The post Construction Underway on Department of Mental Health Recovery Residence appeared first on PC Construction.

The PC Construction team broke ground in April 2020 and provided value engineering analysis to increase efficiency and reduce costs. As a result, Geofoam fill was used at the foundation excavations and the truss assembly was completed on the ground and then set in place.

The facility houses 60 exam rooms, seven procedure rooms, a physical therapy gym, X-Ray and mammography units, shared provider spaces, and a large community space. Additional features were incorporated to address growing COVID-19 related needs, such as a canopy area for patient screenings and isolation rooms.

Rounding out the facility are green features such as solar panels, electric car charging stations, bike storage and high-efficiency plumbing, electrical and heating systems, all which contribute to a reduction in environmental impact.

We are excited to see the doors open to patients next month!

The post Construction Winding Down on Brunswick’s New Health Care Center appeared first on PC Construction.

The $8.6 million project, which was designed by Margulies Perruzzi Architects out of Boston, updated a total of 21,000 square feet at the facility, delivering a 40-bed locked unit and infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the community’s behavioral health needs. The renovation included two fully padded seclusion rooms and incorporated behavioral-specific safety features such as high-impact exterior windows, ligature-resistant fixtures, rescue hinges and soft suicide-prevention doors.

PC also renovated parts of the active emergency department to house an additional five bays, along with security and office space. Because this work was done above active operating rooms and the imaging department, extensive sound and vibration testing was completed prior to demolition to eliminate the potential of construction activity interfering with sensitive procedures on the floor below.

“We are so proud to contribute to the greater availability of life-saving behavioral health care in the state of Maine,” said PC Construction Vice President Mike Leonard. “This state-of-the-art facility will provide a level of comfort that matches the compassion of the hospital’s medical team, all while ensuring vulnerable adults in acute psychiatric crises have the resources and medical care they need.”

“PC took on a renovation project in an area of the hospital which had been vacant for several years,” said Wes Pooler, Vice President of Support Services with MaineHealth – Southern Maine Health Care. “Along with the many challenges 1965-era construction typically presents, we experienced COVID right in the midst of construction. The PC team remained focused and disciplined, ensuring progress continued. The project team partnered very well with our MaineHealth team, and collaborated to deliver a beautiful, new behavioral health unit that will help us better serve the patient needs of Southern Maine.”

The post PC Construction Wins Build Maine Award from Associated General Contractors appeared first on PC Construction.

The 21,000-square-foot Behavioral Renovation, located at Southern Maine Health Care’s Sanford facility, consisted of a complete renovation of an existing facility to house a 48-bed locked unit designed and constructed to behavioral health requirements. The facility, which provides care for adults in acute psychiatric crises, includes 24 semi-private rooms and features anti-ligature elements such as high-impact exterior windows, soft suicide prevention doors, rescue hinges and anti-ligature toilet accessories. Work also included infrastructure upgrades and renovations to the active emergency department to house five additional bays and space for security and offices.

This project is unique in nature because of the specialized needs associated with behavioral health. Throughout construction, the utmost attention was given to patient safety and keeping the existing facility operational. PC utilized a variety of methods to maximize success, including the implementation of Lean tools, mock-ups to ensure quality, multiple infection control barriers for patient safety, and off-hour scheduling to minimize impact to ongoing operations. Virtual inspections with the design team members and dedicated subcontractor support during COVID-19 restrictions were key to quality, schedule and safety adherence.

By October 2020, the facility opened its doors to patients with the most current behavioral health safety measures in place, all in a comforting environment. Most importantly, the facility helps meet a crucial need for the regional SMHC community.

The post SMHC Behavioral Renovation Project Honored with AGC Build Maine Award appeared first on PC Construction.