Turner Construction Builds New 21st Century Hospital in Kentucky

The all-new, reimagined Owensboro Health Regional Hospital opened its doors to patients at 6 am on June 1. Built on a 162-acre tract on the city’s east side, the 780,000-sq-ft facility is positioned to transform healthcare delivery for the 11-county area it serves through a flexible design that accommodates streamlined processes, advanced technology and future growth. AGC member Turner Construction served as construction manager on the project.

Every floor offers patients and families extraordinary views of the picturesque campus that includes ponds, gardens and trees. Indicative of the rethinking inherent in the new design, tools for patient care are out of sight but within easy reach in each of the 400-sq-ft rooms, which are one-third larger than the previous hospital. Rather than a central nurses' station, a work area is tucked outside each patient room, allowing nurses to stay closer to patients. All medicines and supplies are kept in the room or are less than about 20 steps from the bedside, allowing caregivers to quickly attend to patient needs

"Each floor is designed for premium efficiency," said Jeff Barber, president and chief executive officer. "Patient services are closely connected to reduce transport times in life-threatening situations, such as stroke or heart attack care, when minutes can make the difference in patient outcomes, or even life and death."

Adjoining a nine-story structure with patient rooms and ancillary departments is a three-floor rectangular building that houses the emergency department, maternity services, surgery and all supporting areas. Patients move from one service to the next with ease and in quick fashion. Pharmacy, the laboratory, heart catheterization and sterile processing are aligned on the perimeter of the second floor, wrapping around surgery and post anesthesia care units. 

From the outset, Owensboro Health’s leadership knew they wanted to include patients in the design process.  HGA’s in-house process engineers and medical planners worked with Owensboro to conduct a series of interactive workshops with community members to gather patient stories and identify "Keystone Experiences"—experiences starting from the parking lot and continuing to the main lobby through the waiting rooms, patient rooms and finally check-out—that contribute to the patient experience, sense of comfort, and quality of care.  

Concurrent with the patient experience workshops, Owensboro Health and the Design Team applied Lean design principles that enabled the hospital to achieve an operationally efficient plan. 

The project team for the hospital included KLMK Group, Inc. the project manager; HGA as architect and Turner Construction, which served as construction manager. Turner is an AGC member of multiple chapters. In order to achieve the goals established early-on and ensure delivery on the vision, Owensboro Health chose to pursue an innovative approach in constructing its new medical campus. Utilizing Integrated Project Delivery, a method where all team members were hired prior to the start of the project and signed an agreement, the project team agreed that the total cost of construction would not exceed $385 million. By taking this approach, Owensboro Health was able to add $5 million to the scope of the project without increasing its overall budget. The adjoining medical office building cost $39 million. 

By conducting pre-design LEAN studies, intensive workflow analyses, various MEP system studies, and progressive procurement strategies, the project was able to maximize outcomes from an examination of the total impact of decisions. Through these processes the project not only achieved very competitive first cost pricing, but is designed and constructed to reduce long term operational expense, improve the workplace environment for staff, engage the community, change the healthcare delivery model, and most importantly optimize the care environment and outcome potential for every patient. 

To maximize efficiencies during construction, the project team implemented prefabricated building systems, innovative scheduling processes including top-down construction and pull-plan scheduling, full system coordination through Building Information Modeling, and a "Paper Light" project which utilized on-line documentation platforms for information management.  

"From day one, Owensboro Health was committed to creating a 21st-century facility that would revolutionize the way healthcare was provided to the community and this commitment carried throughout the project. As a team we were able to achieve extraordinary results through close collaboration and innovation. Turner is proud to have been a team member in building a facility that will positively impact the community for many years to come," said John Gromos, VP and General Manager of Turner Construction.

About Turner Construction
Turner Construction Company provides building services to clients who value diligence, resourcefulness and creativity in a partner. Turner maintains a network of offices in North America and around the globe, with a staff of 5,000 employees who work on more than 1,200 projects each year. With $8 billion in annual construction volume, Turner ranks first or second in the industry’s major market segments. As a North America-based, international company, Turner is able to offer clients the accessibility and support of a local firm with the stability and resources of a multi-national organization. For more information about Turner, visit www.turnerconstruction.com.

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