Temporary Hospital in Paramus, New Jersey Completed in Record Time

Together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bergen County and FEMA, the project team, which included Holt Construction and RSC Architects, completed a temporary hospital in just two weeks at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey.

The two fully equipped tents, the first of its kind for Army Corps temporary facility construction standards, will serve as a treatment facility for acute, non-COVID-related patients due to the influx of COVID-positive patients in the main building. The temporary hospital will serve an additional 100 patients total and is located in a large parking lot adjacent to BNBMC’s main building with a covered walkway linking the two facilities.

Each tent structure includes 50 inpatient beds as well as an admissions bay, nurse stations, 6 bathrooms with showers, hospital staff nourishment and support areas, a nurse call system in each patient room, medical gas storage, medicine storage and soiled holding. The temporary hospital required plumbing and sprinkler to be run from the main hospital into the barren parking lot.

With assistance from Bergen County and PSE&G representatives, new incoming primary power with a stepdown transformer was provided to power the two tents. Complete life safety provisions were also installed including fire alarm, sprinkler, fire extinguishers and other life-safety systems. This required a significant coordination effort with assistance from local architects and engineers.

The team completed the project with help from the union labor workforce including over 80 carpenters, 20 electricians and 20 plumbers working in three shifts around the clock. Each shift was staggered in compliance with CDC, OSHA and Holt health and safety guidelines. Social distancing was strictly enforced at all times across the project site, and all personnel were equipped with N95 facemasks, face shields, gloves and goggles, in addition to sanitation stations upon entering and exiting the site.

The project team also included, but not limited to the following:

• New Bridge Medical Center
• Bergen County and James J. Tedesco, III
• The United States Army Corps of Engineers
• FEMA
• DMG – Base Camp Services
• DynCorp International
• Strategic Planning Services, LLC
• Allan Briteway Electric
• Nicholson Contracting
• Zabransky Mechanical
• Local 3
• Carpenters Union 253
• Operators Union 825