Highland Hospital Tower Project Focuses on Patient Safety, Privacy and Comfort
After pausing in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction has resumed on Highland Hospital’s Patient Tower Project, a modernization effort that will enable the hospital to provide private rooms for nearly all patients. “COVID-19 has highlighted that private rooms are critical for patient care,” said Cindy Becker, Highland Vice President & COO. “They provide so many benefits including a reduced risk of infections, more space for patient needs, and the positive therapeutic impact of more privacy and less noise during recovery. Private rooms are becoming a standard of care for hospitals nationwide and we are excited to embrace this standard at Highland to care for our community.”
The tower is adding to the existing hospital campus without the hospital having to expand its footprint. The project will add four levels plus a mechanical penthouse to the hospital’s southeast wing – three of the floors will house a total of 58 patient rooms and one floor will house other clinical programs. The mechanical penthouse is being fully enclosed which will reduce noise levels in the neighborhood. There will also be a small seven story infill between the existing three-story building and the existing South Wing. Estimated completion date of the entire project is spring 2023.
The next phase of construction, scheduled to begin in late July, will involve the erection of a crane. The fixed crane will be mounted on-site and will be used for the structural steel erection of the tower. The crane will be located within the southeast area of the construction limits at the edge of the hospital’s property line. Additionally, the base of the crane will have a locking eight foot barbed wire fence surrounding the foundation to limit access to authorized personnel only.
Structural steel erection will begin in August. Crane operators will be LeChase Construction, LLC, employees with many years of experience on this specific crane and fully licensed and certified for the specific model. The crane operators are responsible for daily inspections and a third party certified crane inspection is required monthly and annually. Updates on the project can be found on the Highland website
6/1/2021