Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Breaks Ground on Surgical Tower

June 14, 2016June 22, 2016 2991 Views American Institute of Architects; 2016 COTE Top Ten Awards; Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation; University of Wyoming; Biosciences Research Building; National University of Ireland, Dennis Walcott, Eastern U.S., Galway, Husson University, Landing Page Panel Ad

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The M.T. Mustian Center at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) recently started construction with Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie. Demolition and site work was already underway for new surgical tower during the groundbreaking ceremony on June 3. The project, expected to take 30 months to complete, will wrap up in early 2019. It will bring modern design and equipment to the hospital’s adult intensive care and operating rooms.

“When you go into an area that’s designed to be state-of-the-art, there’s a certain excitement about that,” said current CEO Mark O’Bryant in a Tallahassee Democrat article. “There’s a certain flexibility in realizing you’re able to do some things you’ve never been able to do before.”

The five-story, 340,000-square-foot tower is estimated to cost $250 million. TMH already has 772 rooms. Construction will add a build-out of 28 new operating rooms, a new genetics lab, 12 shelled operating rooms, four suites for neurosurgical and vascular procedures, 72 adult care beds — 60 of which will be operational when the tower opens, 60 intensive care unit rooms (ICU) and 12 shelled ICU rooms.

Plans call for semi-private rooms to be converted into all-private rooms. The facility will also replace all existing operating rooms and related support spaces, including respiratory therapy, CT imaging, post anesthesia care unit, perioperative services, sterile processing services, blood banking and pharmacy services.

Designed by Gresham, Smith & Partners, another Birmingham-based company, the design included input from clinical staff, nurses, patients, physicians, family members and outside consultants. In a since-demolished mock-up room, nurses and surgeons inspected the long-awaited technology. Self-adjusting lights hung overhead. One person can man video and suction equipment. Surgeon Andrew Wong said, “The new equipment is cutting-edge. It could actually make performance of the surgery easier.”

The tower is also dedicated to and named after M.T. Mustian, the former CEO of TMH, who made significant contributions during his time as CEO from 1964 to 1989.

“He was the CEO during a very tumultuous period,” said current CEO Mark O’Bryant in a different Tallahassee Democrat article. “He was here as CEO for 25 years. When you think about the entire history of the organization, that’s a sizable portion of it. During that period of time, the hospital went from a small community facility to a large regional powerhouse.”

Despite construction on the existing campus, Brasfield & Gorrie ensures that the hospital will remain fully operational and easily accessible throughout the process. TMH currently serves Tallahassee residents within a 50-mile radius with hopes of expanding its care to 100-mile radius through the entire Panhandle. Already TMH received designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Agency for Health Care Administration.