CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex.—The Kansas City-based architecture and design firm Hoefer Wysocki has been commissioned to work in conjunction with developer US Federal Properties (USFP), also of Kansas City, to build a Veterans care facility in South Texas.  The Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will be built for client U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System and will be leased to the VA.  The new facility will be conveniently located near the VA Specialty Care Clinic as well as public transit and major freeways for maximum accessibility.

The two-story, 75,000-square-foot clinic will apply the VA’s Patient Aligned Pact Care Team (PACT) model of care, which focuses on a treatment plan tailored to each individual veteran’s needs.  The Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will offer both primary care and mental health services for the estimated 25,000 veterans who reside in the greater Corpus Christi area.

Additionally, the leased-facility model allows the VA department to eventually realign its care options for the future as the needs of the local Veterans community potentially shift with changing care needs as well as fluctuating demographics.

Hoefer Wysocki’s design motif takes into account efficiency and sustainability.  And as Corpus Christi is located on the Gulf of Mexico, the architecture firm’s design incorporates nautical motifs, such as a calming covered entryway that is meant to be reminiscent of water.  Furthermore, the clinic’s design is meant to marry interior and exterior spaces such that they appear to patients and visitors to be simultaneously indoors and outdoors.  To accomplish this melding, Hoefer Wysocki will be installing large windows as well as landscaping along the exterior to promote a bigger healing environment.

The architects have laid out the interior to be as intuitive as feasible, but if help in getting around is still needed, information kiosks will be provided.  Furthermore, waiting areas are meant to be relaxing, and the overall layout is meant to allow for easier interactions between patients, staff and family and friends.  Each care area is dedicated to privacy, and the spaces between care areas are meant to minimize the amount of time patients and their families must travel in between them.

USFP has worked for decades with the federal government to develop and operate properties.  The Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will be the 16^th project that USFP has worked on with Hoefer Wysocki.  Dan Carr, a principal with USFP, said this latest Veterans clinic showcases how the two entities have collaborated for over two decades.

“Together we’ve successfully delivered 1.6 million square feet of VA clinics and GSA facilities,” Carr said in a recent statement.  “The community impact is virtually immeasurable. But knowing that we’re able to continue the mission of helping bring care to those who served in the Armed Forces is an incredible honor.”

The new facility will also place special emphasis on mental health.  According to various surveys, homelessness continues to be a problem for veterans suffering from mental illness.  Thus, an aspect of the new facility’s care will be integrating mental care as well as community outreach efforts to those living on the streets.  Furthermore, as patient and caretaker safety remain of utmost concern in the time of coronavirus, telehealth and virtual care will be part of the new care paradigm.  Specialty care will also include a women’s health clinic as well as a suite for CT and MRI scans.

In a recent statement, Hosam Habib, director of design at Hoefer Wysocki, emphasized the need for increased veterans’ care.

“This clinic will consolidate multiple primary and specialty services under one roof to better serve and empower the veteran community in and around Corpus Christi,” Habib said.

The Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will be the fourth design-built veterans care clinic that Hoefer Wysocki has built in the Lone Star State.  Hoefer Wysocki is working with developer USFP, general contractor Jacobsen Construction as well as several engineering consulting firms, including Pape Dawson Engineers, Inc. and Bob D. Campbell & Co.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Health care construction firm Hoar Construction has begun work on a brand-new veteran health and care center, to be located in Alabama’s largest city. The facility, to be called the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will focus primarily on the all-important area of veterans’ mental health.

Hoar is partnering with developer US Federal Properties Co. LLC of Kansas City, Mo., and architect Hoefer Wysocki of Leawood, Kan., on the project for America’s veterans, reported the Birmingham Business Journal.

The report said that the healthcare services that will be provided to veterans at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center will include outpatient mental health care, outpatient group psychotherapy and psychiatry, intensive care management, “telehealth” programs, homeless support programs, as well as workshops and support personnel to aid in prevention of veteran suicide. The new facility will also have programs available to assist veterans who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse. Group psychotherapy sessions will also be offered at the medical operation.

The healthcare facility for veterans will offer these services in a facility designed specifically for mental health, which will feature 60,000 square feet of healthcare space all located under the same room.

The Business Journal quoted Hoar’s vice president for healthcare, Mark Hendricks, who said that the firm is proud to be able to construct a healthcare facility for veterans in the same city in which the general contracting firm is headquartered. The new clinic will allow thousands of veterans to access “services that previously weren’t available,” Hendricks said, and he made special emphasis on the importance of America’s veterans getting access to the mental health treatment options they need.

The Alabama business website AL.com reports that the $30 million, 60,000-square-foot clinic will likely serve 25,000 veterans per year at one centralized location when it opens, which will likely be sometime in the fall of 2021. Furthemore, when the facility opens next year at 7901 Crestwood Blvd., there will be parking spaces for about 450 vehicles.

Hoar, whose worldwide operations are based out of Birmingham, has been rather active in the Yellowhammer State when it comes to healthcare construction and operations. AL.com reports that in addition to the forthcoming Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Hoar has also provided construction services for other healthcare facilities such as the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children and Encompass Health Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital, both of which are also located in Birmingham. Other healthcare projects in Alabama include the Lakeshore Foundation campus master plan, Infirmary Health’s Saraland medical campus and the Russell Medical Total Healthcare and Urgent Care. Hoar has also provided contracting services for the University of South Alabama’s Fanny Meisler Trauma Center.

In total, their construction portfolio in the healthcare sector in 2019 topped $130 in Alabama.

Architecture firm Hoefer Wysocki’s healthcare portfolio also includes VA facilities in Phoenix, San Antonio and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.—An Award of Merit has been given to architecture firm Hoefer Wysocki for its innovative and sustainable work on the Saint Luke’s Multispecialty Clinic – Blue Springs, Missouri.  Hoefer Wysocki was awarded the 2019 United States Green Building Council (USGBC) West North Central (WNC) Leadership Awards in the “Innovative Design, New Construction” category for its work on Saint Luke’s.

The LEED Silver-certified clinic, valued at $11.6 million, was purpose-built for specialized and flexible outpatient care such as imaging, labs and pharmacy services.  According to Hoefer Wysocki, the clinic offers a “flexible floor plan” for its examination rooms, in which specialists can rotate their visits with one patient without reconfiguring the room layout. 

Of particular importance for Hoefer Wysocki was ensuring that the Saint Luke’s Multispecialty Clinic – Blue Springs, Missouri, be a model for sustainability, said Ashley Eusey, P.E., LEED AP, GGP, sustainability specialist at Hoefer Wysocki.

“Sustainability can provide great value to any project,” Eusey said in a statement to HCO News.  “The healthcare industry specifically has a history of extensive water and energy use, so reducing use of these two resources can potentially reduce operating costs.”

Such concerns were ameliorated in the design process with a particular focus on improved stormwater management.  Furthermore, construction waste was hauled away in part to divert solid waste away from landfills.

“Resilient design, which emphasizes adaptability and flexibility, can also decrease future renovation costs as medical equipment, technology and treatment approaches evolve over time,” added Eusey.

Hoefer Wysocki’s sustainability measures at Saint Luke’s included incorporating walking trails throughout the grounds as part of an overall employee wellness program.  What the firm calls “strategic daylighting” will hopefully help with darkness-related mood shifts that can occur during the colder months, and electric vehicle charging stations are also included on the site as well as part of the push for sustainability.

The firm also points out that sustainability development saves money over the long haul and improves both business and the patient experience.  Furthermore, Eusey and Hoefer Wysocki are pushing for more sustainable facilities across the Midwest in this and future projects. 

However, constant vigilance is the key to ensure that things don’t get sloppy, Eusey said.

“Commissioning and metering assist in maintaining optimal performance of building systems [and] continuous monitoring can alert maintenance personnel of performance deficiencies,” said Eusey, who is recognized as a national leader in sustainable design.  “This practice potentially prevents mechanical breakdowns long before they affect utility bills and system performance.

“All of these strategies were incorporated into the Saint Luke’s Multispecialty Clinic design.”

McCownGordon Construction of Kansas City, which served as the general contractor, has built facilities for the Saint Lake’s system of clinics in both Missouri and Kansas. 

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Interdisciplinary architecture and design firm Hoefer Wysocki, based in Kansas City, announced the completion of the two-story, 38,904-square-foot Saint Luke’s clinic located in Kansas City on March 1. Built with sustainability, flexibility and efficiency in mind, the LEED Silver–certified facility provides access to diagnostic and treatments services to allow multiple health care options to be offered to the community.

Saint Luke’s Clinic specialties include urology, cardiology, orthopedics, family medicine and a rotating specialty, with imaging, pharmacy, and lab facilities also available. The comprehensive imaging capabilities include X-ray, DXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan, mammogram, ultrasound, CT, and MRI.

“There is such a diversity of services at this new clinic,” said Ashely Eusey, an associate at Hoefer Wysocki. “The imagining wing is extensive, the pharmacy and blood draw are state of the art, and there are so many different specialties for patients to choose from.”

A major goal of the design team was to achieve efficiency. The modular units were arranged to allow doctors and technicians to reach patient rooms quicker. This design aspect creates self-supporting departments since all major necessities are provided at each space. This will ultimately reduce the amount of time patients spend waiting to be seen by doctors and specialists.

This diversity is also met with the appropriate amount of infrastructure to accommodate such specialized needs. The reception desk is built to hold great patient volume, with the option of self-check-in kiosks if the many receptionists are busy. From the main waiting room, each specialty has their own waiting area and checkout desk to keep patients moving through.

“It’s a well-oiled machine that has so many services to offer but it doesn’t feel that way. The interior has warm inviting colors and plenty of windows creating an alluring atmosphere,” said Eusey. “It doesn’t feel cold or sterile or like you are being rushed. In my humble opinion, I believe it is the best of all aspects of healthcare.”

To meet the design team’s sustainability goals for the project, the clinic features extensive indoor air quality measures, specifying low-emitting building material and flexibility of thermal and lighting controls adding to the overall patient experience. The design team used recycled materials, energy-efficient equipment and decreased construction waste to reduce the impact on the environment. The project site is well landscaped with walking paths located around the clinic and is close in proximity to the local shopping district, effectively uniting the clinic to the surrounding community.

“St. Luke’s as an organization has a commitment to the environment and the community it interacts with,” said Eusey. “The facility manager, Mark Brooks, was open to discussion on sustainable practices, which is key in promoting this in design. He and I even drafted some ongoing policies to ensure this clinic stays up to date in regards to maintaining a healthy indoor and outdoor environment.”

This collaboration became key to finding the best possible solutions within budget and schedule. By integrating the equipment planners, engineers, owner, contractor and other related parties in design, the team was able to discover better ways to create a sustainable building. “I would point to this as a key part of our silver rating in LEED,” stated Eusey.

Eusey also explained that building such a diverse facility creates many hurdles, with one of the biggest being preserving user content. The needs of a pharmacist are not necessarily the same as the needs of a cardiologist, a technician or a nurse — merging all of these very important requests into one clinic was a challenge.

“My hats off to both the Principal-in-Charge Jim Stearman and Project Manager Dennis O’Roark for taking some many visions and creating one cohesive unit,” said Eusey. “My conversations with the staff have been positive and at the open house, the general public was blown away by the variety of options and ease of accessibility. It’s a testament to the work they did early on in design to get all parties on board, moving in the same direction.”

Saint Luke’s will also include new and advanced imaging equipment. For example, the X-ray machine is an intelligent machine that is controlled and maneuvered via IPAD. It even gives the one controlling it suggestions on where the camera should be placed for the best picture given the body part being scanned. Alongside X-ray, the facility also has MRI, CT, Dexa, Mammography, and Ultrasound — all cutting-edge machines. The pharmacy and blood-draw departments also have entirely new equipment.

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