Western Maryland Health System

Coping with change┬áNot every construction job goes smoothly, but goodwill and effort can go a long way toward minimizing the impact, as Jeff Daniels learns. In the coming months, the numerous individual facilities that constitute the resources of the Western Maryland Health System will become obsolete. In October a brand new seven-floor, 585,000-square-foot hospital will take over from the hodgepodge of locations that reflect both the origins and aspirations of WMHS and the topsy-turvy way it has grown since its formation in 1996. ┬áBack then, in an effort to manage local healthcare resources more effectively, CumberlandÔÇÖs two hospitals decided to join forces to create one WMHSÔÇögiving it the responsibility to oversee management operations in a way that would enhance patient care as well as improve the overall health of the community while at the same time reducing healthcare costs. As such, WMHS offers a comprehensive range of general and specialty services for medical, surgical, pediatric and obstetric patients. Eight specialty centers have been developed covering treatment as diverse as behavioral health, joint reconstruction and womenÔÇÖs health. The 200 physicians practicing in the community provide an enviable array of expertise, and all of them have sophisticated diagnostic testing services on tap. But many of the buildings are past their prime, and not all of them started their days as medical facilities. Worst of all, though, they are strung far and wide throughout the communities they serve.To replace all this, the decision has been made to build a new state-of-the-art hospital that will combine all the services in one location. The job of constructing the $260 million hospital has been given to Barton Malow/Mascaro, a joint venture created by two out-of-town firms fully capable of tackling the complexity of the work but lacking the overall resources to take on the work individually. In total, the project is bringing over 400 jobs to the area.One of the busiest executives onsite is project manager Michael McCullough. Seconded from the Pittsburgh firm of Mascaro Construction, McCullough is second in command onsite with main responsibility for architectural coordination. As such, he is on the front line of a job that is having its share of ups and downs.ÔÇ£Work is progressing well,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£The exterior is complete and watertight, 70 percent of the drywall has been hung, and some sections have been fitted out and painted. The major items still not complete are weather-sensitiveÔÇölandscaping, road asphaltingÔÇöand are being held back for when the weather improves in the spring.ÔÇØThe fact that the job is progressing so well is testament to the effort being put into keeping things on schedule, because the project has been subject to an unusually large number of design changes. From the first days of excavation, it turned out that the soil test drillings had missed large swathes of clay.ÔÇ£The location for the new hospital is well placed for access to the interstate highway,ÔÇØ says McCullough, ÔÇ£but the old wooded site needed massive amounts of spoil to be cleared, and it soon became clear that the substrate was much rockier and heavier than the tests had indicated.ÔÇØSince then the project has been subjected to around 100 design changes. ÔÇ£The impacts on completion and overall cost have not been too detrimental,ÔÇØ says McCullough. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs inevitable that there will be some cost implications, but bearing in mind that similar construction projects average between five and ten percent cost escalation because of changes, so far weÔÇÖre under that level. If changes are thought of early enough, thereÔÇÖs seldom any real impact. But if they come in later, then they have a significant knock-on effect. ItÔÇÖs when materials need to be reordered that the greatest potential impact on the schedule occurs, often delaying progress for something seemingly trivial.ÔÇØIn the case of WMHS, the most critical area has been in the choice of medical equipment. Initially, General Electric was the supplier of choice, but late in the day a number of key items were changed, affecting both foundations and electrical services.When completed, the new hospital will have seven floors: floors one to three will be for treatment and diagnostics; all the mechanical equipment will be housed on the fourth floor, thereby maximizing efficiency for reaching the vertical extremities of the building; and floors five, six and seven will have a total of 275 patient beds incorporating the latest bedside technology and built to enhance safety and reduce noise levels.The site is also close to Allegany College of Maryland and the Allegany County Health Department. WHMS works closely with both these organizations with the aim of creating a center of excellence for the wider community.Everything about the hospital has been designed to make accessibility easier for patients, visitors, physicians and staff. Part of the construction work is to add a couple of traffic roundabouts to link the site with the nearby highway. Plans have been started for a new intersection at nearby Interstate 68. There is also nearby access to public transportation.By far the biggest advantage of the new hospital will be to have all inpatient and outpatient services at the one single site, but once inside the building the most frequently used services are conveniently clustered around the main entrance.The new hospital has been designed by Hord Coplan Macht, a Baltimore-based architect and landscape designer, so itÔÇÖs no surprise that the finished result intends to provide not only a relaxing and inspiring environment but also many comfortable and cozy spots where patients and their visitors can spend time together in private, both inside and outside of the building.No doubt when the hospital opens its doors in the fall, the memory of any teething troubles will soon fade, leaving all concerned to enjoy the areaÔÇÖs newest medical facilities.┬á