Rankin County Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Hospital

The residents of Texas’ Rankin County are one step closer to having a new critical access hospital and wellness center to replace the existing hospital built nearly 60 years ago. A groundbreaking ceremony on March 7 marked the official start of construction on the new facilities, scheduled for completion in early 2015. The Rankin County Hospital Board of Directors determined replacement facilities were needed to address the community’s growing need for healthcare and the rising cost of maintenance in the existing buildings.

The new 34,000-square-foot hospital will provide 15 inpatient beds along with lab, imaging, physical therapy, dietary and emergency department services. A new 2,500-square-foot clinic and 1,700-square-foot pharmacy will be connected to the hospital. A new wellness center will include a large pool, exercise and gym multipurpose space, locker rooms and physical therapy area. The eight-acre site also features a helistop and RV parking area to facilitate out-of-town families of extended stay patients.

Rogers-O’Brien Construction and O’Connell Robertson are working together to lead this design/build project. Rogers-O’Brien is providing the construction services and O’Connell Robertson is providing architecture, MEP engineering and interior design services.

The groundbreaking ceremony featured representatives from the hospital board and staff and the design/build team. The community event was held at the site of the new facilities, located at County Park on Truck Route in Rankin.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to work with the Rankin Hospital District in realizing their vision of new hospital, clinic and wellness facilities that will serve the Rankin community for generations to come,” stated Cisco Hobbs, vice president-healthcare for Rogers-O’Brien Construction. “Our design/build process will bring transparency, faster project delivery and a collaborative team approach that will maximize value to the people of Rankin.”

“This project demonstrates the value the design/build process can have in providing budget and schedule control to ensure a quality facility for the owner,” said Rick Burnight, AIA, ACHA, president/CEO of O’Connell Robertson. “That is especially important given today’s volatile bidding climate in West Texas. We are proud to be part of this team working to provide the best value to the residents of Rankin County.”