CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy Expands Heart and Vascular Institute to Meet Patient Needs

HVI Fifth Floor Patient Room

Just like doctors know their patients, MCL Construction knows the anatomy of a building.  From detailed planning meetings to intricate virtual designs, our team knows the safest approach for the best project outcome.  This is particularly important when renovating a hospital. 

CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy selected MCL and design partner Leo A Daily to renovate and redesign the fifth floor Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI).  The project included complete demolition of the existing floor and a remodel and upgrade to include 18 larger patient rooms, an isolation room, a bariatric room, and core support areas.  

“The existing HVI bed unit was at capacity almost every day.  Cardiovascular admissions to CUMC Bergan Mercy were also up 6.5% for the first six months of 2019,” said CHI Health Planning Design and Construction Manager Brian Lancaster.  “The HVI project was identified as a necessary first step to ensure continued growth of the Cardiovascular Institute.”

Waiting Room

Nurses Station

5th Floor Renovation

When MCL works in a hospital, the entire campus is treated as a workspace, and safety measures are in place from the start.  Hospital ventilation and med gas systems run through every floor and are essential throughout the hospital.  If you are not careful, dust and debris from the work can easily move through that system and quickly contaminate clean air in patient rooms.  

MCL has a long-standing record of successful hospital construction projects and is staffed with individuals who are experts in building spaces designed for active healthcare.  Our staff and the hospital had regular collaborative meetings before and throughout construction to develop plans to mitigate dust and control airflow to the outside of the building.  

MCL Project Manager Clayton Wachal knows exactly how to keep our workspace safe and isolated from patients.  

“I enjoy the detail in planning and collaboration because it is a lot more detail than what you need in a general construction environment,” said Wachal.

HVI Fifth Floor Restored Bathroom

Part of the fifth floor renovations included new restrooms.  It was a simple thought that soon required detailed planning and coordination.  The new restrooms were built on top of an occupied fourth floor and, in order to relocate them to opposite sides of the fifth floor, our team needed to access and move plumbing from the fourth floor ceiling up to the fifth floor.  MCL worked with the hospital to isolate a handful of rooms at one time and turn them back over to the hospital for use before starting new ones.  Again, airflow and isolating our space was crucial to completing this part of the renovation. 

“We set up negative air spaces meaning all the air from the hospital was flowing into our space and then outside of the building,” said Wachal.  “Nothing from our workspace went back into the hospital.  Additionally, anterooms were created to build barriers between occupied rooms and rooms we were working on.” 

MCL’s experience with hospital renovations and knowledge of the building helped the hospital modify their existing med gas structure to allow for future renovations without having to shut off entire systems.  Knowing that we needed to shut off gas temporarily, MCL proposed an idea to the hospital to bring more people in and add additional new valves to allow the hospital to isolate only the floor that needed repair rather than the entire tower in the future. 

“The MCL team quickly became a trusted partner by the project team’s willingness to help achieve the goals of our project from budget to completion,” said Lancaster.  “The knowledge, experience, and integrity that MCL brought to the table were greatly appreciated.” 

Construction is complete and the fifth floor is fully functional for staff and patient use. 
About MCL Construction
​For many businesses, navigating the entire construction process and knowing who to trust can be overwhelming.  At MCL Construction, our people simplify the process by listening, planning, executing, and continuing the relationship to build their vision