An ever-expanding patient population and rising need for health care of all kinds is giving rise to specialty care facilities. Healthcare facilities such as those that center on pediatric, cancer care and behavioral health are taking the forefront as technology continues to evolve and the needs of those seeking care widens. Among those raising the bar of specialized care is University Health’s new Women’s & Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
Dedicated to serving women, children and infants, this specialty hospital under University Health joins a small group of U.S. hospitals (currently only around 20) built to cater to the needs of women and children. The level of impact for the surrounding diverse San Antonio community is significant, with the new addition serving as the region’s first women’s and children’s hospital.
However, it doesn’t just stop there: The hospital is also home to the area’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center and milk bank, the state of Texas’s first Level 4 maternal care facility and four floors of Level 4 NICU and PICU, ensuring patients receive the highest level of care in one place. It’s an important marker for San Antonio and the region’s residents seeking care, home to a diverse population that speaks an estimated 40 languages.
“Authentically serving the community and reflecting its diversity are high priorities for University Health,” says Mike Cloud, vice president of JE Dunn Construction. Reflecting the San Antonio community and constructing a state-of-the-art facility from top to bottom to provide the highest quality care was top of mind throughout the project for JE Dunn and Joeris General Contractors, who came together as a joint venture on the project.
To complete the new 12-story, 300-bed women and children’s hospital, maximizing prefabrication in design and construction made all the difference. Components designed and built for prefabrication included 1,200 unitized curtainwall panels; 509 metal exterior panels; 281 patient bathroom pods; 251 sanitary piping trees and headwalls; 198 horizontal and four vertical MEP racks and more.
“This is a remarkable example of maximizing prefabrication in a U.S. hospital,” says Sara Curry, JE Dunn’s director of prefabrication integration. “Embracing prefabrication early in design shifted approximately 300,000 hours of trade labor – and the accompanying potential for noise, safety risks and traffic – away from this busy medical district.”
Read more about this family-centered specialty hospital changing the San Antonio healthcare landscape in Medical Construction & Design.
