Industry News

The University of Florida broke ground on the Pathogens Research Facility in Gainesville on February 27, 2008. Housing the Emerging Pathogens Institute, the $60 million facility is slated for completion in August of 2009. Accommodating research on select agents and viruses including SARS, West Nile, and avian influenza, the 108,000-sf building will house BSL-3 facilities, 28 laboratories, offices, three rooftop greenhouses, and support. In addition to the construction cost, the building will contain $15 million in equipment.

Promise Hospital of MissLou celebrated the official beginning of construction on its new $16 million, 49,826-sf facility in Vidalia, La., in February of 2008. The two-story, 48-bed long term acute care (LTAC) hospital will feature all private rooms, eight ICU rooms, laboratory services, radiology, a respiratory department, and a physical therapy gym. The facility will be constructed to meet the International Energy Conservation Code and will replace an existing facility in Ferriday.

Battelle received a multiple-award contract from the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE) in February of 2008. With an estimated ceiling of $3 billion over a five year period, the contract allows Battelle to provide architectural and engineering services for environmental, military construction, military family housing, and facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects at Air Force and other military installations throughout the U.S. and at operating locations worldwide.

Providence Medical Center opened the 11-story, 490,000-sf square foot Providence Cancer Center in Portland, Ore., in February of 2008. Designed by Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Partnership, the multi-phase project was built by Turner Construction with groundbreaking in 2005. Consolidating cancer services in a single location, the $204 million facility includes a $2 million linear accelerator, space for clinical trials and translational research, and 21 surgical suites.

3M announced in February of 2008 the release of the Amelior™ suite of real-time workflow automation solutions from Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS) to its healthcare customer base. The Amelior software comprises hospital-wide and department-specific workflow information systems to improve patient flow and reduce the risk of medical errors.