When Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola announced its plans to build the Studer Family Children’s Hospital, it marked the single largest investment in the hospital’s 104-year history.
A project of this magnitude required expert resources in healthcare construction – a general contractor who could complete the project on time, within budget, keeping the comfort and safety of patients, families and staff a priority throughout the process.
We brought our nearly 80 years of experience to the job site, along with our extensive understanding of the healthcare industry and a passion to serve. We understood our client’s mission was to build something more than just a building — they wanted to build a safe harbor for children and families when they most need it, when a child is hurting or sick. The new hospital allows Sacred Heart to deliver excellent pediatric care in a true children’s hospital environment, where everything is aimed at making a child’s stay less stressful.
The project included approximately 175,000 square feet of new construction and 13,000 square feet of renovation. The new four-story tower addition houses a pediatric emergency department and trauma center, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), extended care and observation beds, and support services for the clinical departments and families.
 Weathering the Challenges
The team faced challenges from the very beginning of the project. The foundational work coincided with hurricane season in Florida, which can have major impacts on any construction schedule in the Sunshine State. We were impacted by three hurricanes and two tropical storms during the project, lost 137 work days due to weather and saw 170 inches of rain fall. Despite those setbacks, our team persevered and still opened the hospital two months ahead of schedule.
During the first year of construction, Hurricane Irma came barreling in from the Atlantic and took a turn from the east coast of Florida to the west coast. Before the sun came up Sept. 10, the day Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys as a category 4 hurricane, our team made the decision to take the crane down. With high winds forecasted throughout Florida and along the Panhandle, the team didn’t want to risk the crane falling, especially as it stood over Sacred Heart’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, NICU and operating rooms. Our top priority throughout this project, like all our healthcare projects, was always the safety of patients, staff, and visitors.
Patients Over Projects
Hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With operations running around the clock, the team scheduled its work around the hospital’s activities, working hand-in-hand with the hospital staff to devise a plan to route the patients, employees, and visitors away from construction.
In healthcare construction, we’re responsible for more than just delivering a project on time — the safety of everyone in the hospital is in our hands. Our team had to create and implement a precise infection control plan. Our plan included interim life safety measures to protect patients as well as visitors and staff. We spent a considerable amount of time developing our plan in preconstruction because we understood there was no room for mistakes while working on an active hospital campus, especially when working near the hospital’s most vulnerable patients in the NICU.
The design of the Studer Family Children’s Hospital is unique and fitting for both its patients and location. To avoid a sterile hospital feel, HKS Inc., the architect and interior designer on the project, created an under-the-sea theme for the new facility. CT scanning rooms feature ocean imagery and sea animals, snack bar guests are greeted by a giant sea turtle, and patient rooms are painted with warm and inviting hues to ease the stress that comes with hospital visits. We worked closely with the design team to get every detail right to deliver the patient experience our client wanted to provide through this investment.
Turning Old into New
Working to renovate and expand an existing hospital is much more difficult than starting a green field project. The expansion over the NICU involved cutting holes in the existing roof for the installation of the new structural columns. We then covered the existing roof in rigid insulation and plywood to protect it during the vertical expansion.
One of the most common challenges with expansion projects is tying the new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems into the existing ones. Those challenges become even more complicated on a healthcare renovation. We had to tie into the existing MEP systems while those areas of the existing hospital remained open for patient care. This work required extensive planning and coordination.
To make this process more efficient, the team designed a prefabricated rack system to allow the construction of segmented sections of mechanical and plumbing work to be installed and insulated in a factory-controlled environment. Using prefabricated racks enabled fabrication, installation, testing and inspection to be done from a standing position as opposed to being done on a ladder, creating a safer and much more efficient working environment. Prefabricating the units also helped reduce the coordination and installation time on site, shaving additional time off the schedule.
The most rewarding part of any healthcare job comes when the project is finished, and we get to see firsthand the impact our work has on people’s lives. We’re always proud to help our healthcare clients deliver state-of-the-art care and know that a new hospital will change the lives of many for years to come.
David Roberts
Senior Project Manager David Roberts was the primary day-to-day point of contact with the Studer Family Children’s Hospital and responsible for managing the expansion and renovation project. David has been working in the construction industry for 11 years, six of those with Hoar. He is father to four daughters and understands the importance of, and access to, state-of-the-art healthcare for children and was excited to be a part of this project.
Mike Broadaway
Senior Superintendent Mike Broadaway is a 22-year veteran with Hoar Construction and has been building hospitals for 26 of his 39 years in the industry.  Mike oversaw, directed, and managed activities at the Studer Family Children’s Hospital and knows patient care along with their safety and the safety of visitors, hospital staff, and the construction workforce is the No. 1 priority on any healthcare project. Mike, who is a Pensacola area resident, was fully invested in the project that would make such a difference and mean so much to his community.