A major construction milestone — structural steel assembly — for a new entrance to the Clovis Community Medical Center in the Central Valley of California, is complete. This element of work is part of the hospital’s Phase C expansion project, a $430-million endeavor that includes a new five-story, 144-bed patient tower, new lobby building, 600-space parking structure, as well as expansions to the hospital’s emergency department, pharmacy and laboratory, materials management, loading dock and dining and nutrition services. The project team includes Clark Construction Group and HMC Architects.
While the four-year expansion project is on schedule for completion next year, it reached its mid-point in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing this critical expansion, while maintaining active hospital operations during the pandemic, presented myriad challenges for the construction and hospital teams. As they worked to maintain the project’s schedule, the team simultaneously navigated ensuring craftworker and patient safety — accelerating life-saving construction operations, such as the emergency installation of a bulk oxygen yard as the hospital’s oxygen supply dwindled, working with regulatory agencies for expedited approvals and ensuring all key stakeholders’ trades were engaged and aligned.
The project team’s thoughtful approach, and unprecedented levels of collaboration and transparency, brought certainty during an uncertain time, enabling construction operations to progress safely and ensuring the hospital could meet the evolving needs of the community.
