Capital Project Solutions – January 2012

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An Amazing Recovery - The Phoebe Sumter Medical Center

Roman Buckner, Senior Consultant

At 9:15 pm on March 1, 2007, a powerful E-F3 tornado tore a

thirty-eight mile path through Sumter County, Georgia. The

city of Americus bore the brunt of the storm loosing many of

its homes, businesses and schools. Sumter Regional Hospital

was completely destroyed by the devastating twister. Now,

almost five years later, the community has recovered and the

new Phoebe Sumter Medical Center has emerged from the

wreckage.

When planning began, the goal of the new medical campus was

not to rebuild what had been destroyed or to create a small

version of a large hospital but to build a new paradigm meeting

the specific needs of the community. The project team of KLMK

Group, Gresham Smith Partners and Brasfield Gorrie provided the design,

direction and management needed to move the project forward and aid in the

healing of the community. This month’s edition of Capital Project Solutions

provides insight to the new health village and shares details of how the project

was able to finish on budget and ahead of schedule.

The Phoebe Sumter Medical Center is a 240,000 square foot health village

located in Americus, Georgia. The new replacement campus was designed and

constructed with a sustainability initiative and is targeting a LEED Silver

Certification status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The

medical facilities are built on 32 acres within a 272 acre “green-field” site. The

campus is comprised of five structures including a 190,000 square foot Hospital,

a Wellness & Education Center, a Women's & Family Medical Building, a

General Surgery & Oncology Building and a Central Energy Plant capable of

cogenerating electricity for the facilities. The Hospital is a four story structure

(plus basement) that houses 76 patient beds of all private rooms and is

providing medical services to the City of Americus and surrounding Sumter

County.

Scope & Budget Management

One of the first orders of business for the team was to validate the scope for

the new campus. A Launch Gap Analysis was conducted to evaluate the

proposed size and ensure that all aspects of the project had been vetted.

Ultimately, through a collaborative effort involving the project delivery team

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and leadership from both Phoebe Putney Health System and Sumter Regional

Hospital, all of the gaps were identified and addressed and a course was set on

a common vision. This process aided in “right-sizing” the scope and fine-tuned

the pathway for the development of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center.

The total Master Program Budget for the facility was set at $125 million, with a

Construction Budget of $81 million. Funding for the project came from

primarily three sources:

An insurance payout due to the total destruction of the previous 150

bed facility

A partnership/merger agreement with Phoebe Putney Health System

Federal Aid Funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA)

These combined resources allowed for the new health village, to relocate to a

“green-field” site that was significantly larger than the existing

site. Taking advantage of the new location, the project team

worked to “right-size” the facilities in order to maintain the

current healthcare needs of the community provide greater

opportunity for future growth and enhance profitability. In

addition, leadership made a solid commitment to

sustainable and responsible construction and developed a

budget that would support pursuing LEED certification for

all new facilities. Though sustainability can add cost to a

project, the benefits far out way the initial investment. This

is reflected in the 24,000 square foot vegetated or “green-

roof” and 80,000 gallons of underground storage tanks that

harvest rainwater to irrigate the campus landscaping.

Currently, the Women's and Family Health Building has

received LEED Silver and the other certifications are pending.

In order to minimize changes and maintain the program budget, full scale

“finished” mock-ups of each patient room were constructed at an offsite

location. Having the spaces “finished” enabled the project team and staff to

visualize the size/feel of each room and to examine the operational aspects of

the space. In addition, it allowed for modifications to be made to the placement

of fixtures, finishes, and hardware. Being able to adjust the mock-ups saved a

considerable amount of time and money as opposed to having made changes in

the field or in the midst of construction. The finished mock-ups were also used

for training purposes and aided in familiarizing the clinical staff with the new

facility and equipment. Ultimately, this process proved beneficial in streamlining

facility activation as staff was more comfortable with their new surroundings.

Finally, once finished, the mock-ups were used as a tool for physician

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recruitment as well as for public relations - community members were allowed

to get a glimpse of the new facility prior to completion.

Schedule & Facility Activation

The construction and activation schedule for the project was originally set for

25 months. This time duration included the completion of all construction

activities, IT infrastructure, medical equipment procurement, staff training and

ultimately the patient move/relocation. Through a collaborative team effort, the

project was delivered a full three months ahead of schedule without impacting

the Master Program Budget. As each floor and building phase was completed,

they were issued a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO’s) and delivered

to the owner and facility activation team. With the cooperation of State and

Local authorities, this strategy allowed for the inspection and approval of each

floor or phase independently and thus the team was able to mobilize and install

the final fixtures, furniture and equipment. Once an entire floor was completed,

staff could begin to train and familiarize themselves with the new building and

layout. Therefore, the project team was able to reduce the typical lag time

from construction completion to building turnover and facility activation. The

ribbon cutting for the new hospital was held on December 10, 2011, three

months ahead of schedule.

Conclusion

The Phoebe Sumter Medical Center now serves as one

of the finest examples of a successfully executed health

village with all the modern amenities and ability to

provide world class healthcare. Collaboration and

commitment on behalf the project team enabled delivery

that exceeded the client’s expectations. This rebirth has

aided in healing a community and will serve the residents

of Americus for years to come.