Healthcare

The University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein has commissioned a consortium comprised of Siemens, Bilfinger Berger, and HSG Technischer Service to construct the first particle therapy center (PTC) in Kiel, Germany. With overall costs of approximately 250 million euros, the Competence Center for Radiotherapeutic Oncology represents the largest public private partnership project (PPP) ever launched in the German healthcare sector.

Phoenix Controls Corporation, a Honeywell International business, announced in March of 2008 the introduction of a new family of precision airflow control products designed specifically for the HVAC needs of Healthcare facilities. Branded the Theris™ family of valves, this product line brings new value to healthcare engineers and includes features that conserve energy, reduce maintenance, and increase infection control.

The Qatar Foundation began construction in early 2008 on the Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha, Qatar. Designed by Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli and executive architectural firm Ellerbe Becket, the center will provide world-class clinical care, medical education, and biomedical research facilities. Funded by $7.9 billion (US) by the Qatar Foundation, the project is located on the Education City campus near Weill Cornell Medical College.

The University of Florida celebrated the topping out of the new UF Biomedical Sciences Building in Gainesville on February 29, 2008. The six-story, 160,000-sf multidisciplinary facility is slated for completion in early 2009.

Catholic Healthcare West has awarded Jacobs Engineering Group a $240 million contract to assist in managing the Sequoia Hospital program in Redwood City, Calif. The project consists of a major expansion to the hospital, including a new 104-bed tower, a retrofit of 63 rooms in the existing hospital, a medical office building, and a parking structure. The expansion is expected to be finished by 2012.

Boston University broke ground in late February 2008 on its new facility at Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). The project, part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Centre, is slated for completion in 2011. The facility will house graduate and postgraduate programs in dentistry and allied health sciences.

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.

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.

Texas Regional Medical Center Sunnyvale broke ground in February 2008 on its 117,000-sf general acute care hospital sited on 29 acres in Sunnyvale, Texas. Slated for completion in 2009, the $68 million facility will be managed by Rockwall Hospitals. The 70-bed hospital will house medical/surgical suites, six operating rooms, an emergency department, ICU, and labor and delivery suites.

Virginia Mason Medical Center has awarded Skanska USA Building a $114 million construction management contract for a new 75,000-sf healthcare facility in Seattle. Construction began in early 2008 with completion slated for May of 2010. The building, which will connect to the adjacent existing hospital, will house an emergency department, intensive care units, operating rooms, lobby, and a central utility plant.

Maryland General Hospital broke ground in February of 2008 on a 96,500-sf addition to its Baltimore campus. Designed by architectural firm Hord Coplan Macht, the $57 million project will house operating rooms, eight ICU rooms, laboratories, and a pharmacy.

The Medical University of South Carolina opened the 641,000-sf Ashley River Tower in Charleston on February 4, 2008. Designed by NBBJ, the $400-million facility is the first hospital in the nation to meet new seismic and hurricane building codes. Specializing in the treatment of cardiovascular and digestive disease, the 156-bed facility includes 32 ICU beds, nine operating rooms, catheterization and interventional labs, endoscopy and imaging suites, an outpatient clinic, and a dedicated chest pain center.

Linc Facility Services (LFS) acquired Morse Medical, the largest independent clinical technology maintenance and management service organization in the Pacific Northwest, in early 2008. The acquisition will enable LFS to strengthen its healthcare service portfolio and accelerate the expansion of its geographic footprint. Headquartered in Bellevue, Wa., Morse Medical has 10 service centers across the Puget Sound with services spanning basic field service for physician offices to complete turnkey solutions for hospital and health care systems.

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore installed the the MAGNETOM® Verio magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system from Siemens Medical Solutions in January of 2008. Combining 3 Tesla strength and sensitivity with a 70-cm open bore and Tim™ (Total imaging matrix) technology, the MAGNETOM Verio is helping Hopkins Bayview to provide high-field imaging to many people who previously could not benefit from the technology.