The health care industry is growing fast as America’s older population ages and younger generations reach record numbers. Hospitals are expanding at a rapid pace to meet the new demand for health care services; however, during this process, it is important to not lose site of important facility programs, including pest management.

While renovations bring great changes, the process can often disrupt normal services, pausing normal sanitation schedules, interrupting maintenance routings, and increasing traffic and visitors. One unhealthy side effect can be that pest control services get shelved. However, renovations tend to be when pests pose the largest threat to health care facilities. When outdoor habitats are disrupted for new construction or pest control routines are abandoned during upgrades, it can lead to problems. Mice, rats and other rodents can scurry inside if their outdoor homes are disturbed. So, if you do come across any rodents on your property, you should call a professional pest control service, or manage the situation yourself by using something like a pellet pistol (if you find them in your garden), to ensure that they don’t interfere with your lives. These aren’t the only pests that can disappear if you don’t catch them quick enough though. Cockroaches and other insects also can take root if moisture seeps into foundations. And termites can run the show if construction debris isn’t discarded properly. Termites are everywhere and any waste will certainly attract them. The only way to remove them is to have a professional come and perform Termite Control in Phoenix, LA, or wherever you may be.

Patients can leave negative reviews or complain to auditors if pests are found, and rightly so. Everyone expects a high level of sanitation and cleanliness at hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics.

Because pests carry harmful pathogens and the potential to ruin a hospital’s reputation, it’s essential to take a proactive approach to pest control before, during and after renovations. By taking preventive measures and working directly with a pest management professional, with measures like reading through a guide to how to get rid of spiders at pestsmartcontrol or calling them directly before a renovation or expansion, facility owners and operators can ensure a patients’ stay is healthy, and also keep on top of a construction timeline and budget.

Phase I: Planning for Pests Before Renovation

Being proactive about a pest management strategy from the start has long-term benefits. Managing pest control issues during construction typically falls on the contractor, who should create an integrated pest management (IPM) program. Effective IPM practices aim to limit pests’ access to the resources they need to survive and reproduce, typically food, warmth, shelter and water.

IPM is most effective when a property is evaluated beforehand to determine which pests already are located around the property, how large their populations are and in which season they are most prevalent. For example, this information could affect a decision to start a construction project in the driest part of the year if mosquitoes and flies are a problem in a particular area. This may prevent entry from swarms of mosquitoes or flies that could occur if the construction started during wet or humid months.

Materials also have the potential to be problems or – when chosen wisely – solutions. When sourcing building materials, choose those that have the potential to deter pests, such as concrete, fiber-cement siding or non-cellulose insulation. Facility owners also need to inspect all incoming materials for signs of pests, as sometimes they hitch a ride onto the construction site with the new materials. Things to look for include droppings, chewed surfaces, or even dead rodents or insects.

A pest management provider can work with the contractor to treat for termites and other insects as walls and foundations are poured and installed. Owners (or hired contractors) will also want to carefully inspect walls and foundations for cracks that rodents and ants could use as an entry point into the structure, and may ven want to read through sites that ran a recent post about how to ensure the beds are kept clean and safe for use. Newly emptied rooms can be treated with a growth-regulating product to prevent insect pests from breeding before construction begins. New carpets also can be pre-treated for pests before installation.

Additionally, facility owners and maintenance personnel must be proactive about maintaining a clean and clutter-free construction site from the beginning of a renovation. After all, a single leftover lunch could cause a full-fledged infestation of roaches, ants or flies.

Phase II: Implementing Best Practices During Renovation

During renovations, it’s important to grade a property properly so that water drains away from the foundation. Standing water is particularly attractive to mosquitoes, and moist, disturbed soils can be the perfect hiding grounds for termites. While grading the property, place baits around the perimeter to prevent termites before they find a way inside the facility.

Any new landscaping installed during a renovation should be kept trimmed and placed at least 2 feet away from buildings to reduce rodents’ accessibility to upper levels and building roofs. Pests will be further deterred from entering the property by installing LED lights (as some studies have shown are less attractive to flying insects than traditional lighting).

During renovations, it’s important to revisit the most common methods that pests use to enter the property. For instance, entry doors (loading docks, front or back entrances, garage doors, etc.) should remain closed as much as possible to reduce entry of rodents or pests with wings, like birds and flying insects. Double sliding doors are recommended at major entrances to create an additional barrier. If windows must be left open, they should be properly screened. Any utility openings should also be closed off.

For frequently used entrances, air curtains (which are fans mounted against the doorway) and plastic strips help to prevent pests from getting in and conditioned air from getting out. These are often a good idea to install at loading docks or supply areas. Steel or copper mesh can be used to seal walls so that rodents can’t gnaw through to the building’s wires and electrical systems.

At the end of each workday, it’s important that construction crews cover all building materials to protect against the elements, especially rain. No one wants to find fungus, larvae or full-grown pests hiding in wet building materials.

Phase III: Maintaining Pest Management After Renovation

Even when a renovation is complete, pest management is not. Work with a pest management professional to update an IPM program based on new additions to the hospital or clinic. Certain areas of a health care facility need special attention and certainly any new food service areas will need to have a strong pest management plan in place.

Education is the key to long-term prevention of pests following renovation. Health care staff – particularly those who work with food, laundry or patients – should be trained on prevention and inspection techniques. After all, they are on the front lines of pest threats, and they should be encouraged to report and log any pest sightings.

As health care providers, it’s essential to be proactive about pests as renovations occur. By maintaining effective pest management practices before, during and after renovation, a health care facility can provide high-quality care to patients and continue to be a place where health and wellness can thrive.

Tim Husen, Ph.D., BCE is a technical services manager at national pest control company Orkin LLC. A board-certified entomologist specializing in urban entomology, he has more than a decade of experience in the industry. For more information, email thusen@rollins.com or visit www.orkincommercial.com.

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The construction industry as a whole is growing, and the health care sector continues to be a big part of that growth. There is tremendous pressure for hospitals and health systems to reduce costs and increase efficiencies while improving patient care as well as financial stability. While this may be daunting, streamlining processes and putting in place a few key best practices can save both time and money over the course of these construction projects, allowing for greater focus on patient welfare.

Health care construction spending in 2016 exceeded $40 billion and is expected to increase 5 percent annually through 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 50 percent of construction projects completed between 2012 and the first quarter of 2016 were construction renovations (including alterations and additions), according to information provided by the Healthcare Facilities Symposium. So, how can facilities keep up with these challenging demands and plan properly for the future?

During a recent webinar presented by Gordian, a construction data and software company, David Clark, associate vice president of facilities, construction and design at Jackson Health System in Miami, provided insight into how the health system plans for the future with facility master planning. While many projects are currently ongoing, the actual Jackson Health facility master plan was developed in 2012 around three critical questions:

1. How are we operating today?
2. Are we meeting the needs of the community?
3. How do we develop a strategy to improve and expand operations?

Jackson Health has six hospitals and 12 satellite facilities that together span more than 7.6 million square feet of occupied building space managed by the health system’s respective construction and facilities departments. These departments manage an average of 40 to 50 active projects a year.

With the development of an initial facility master plan, Jackson Health cultivated a new capital program, from which it defined signature projects. These signature projects included expansions and renovations of both the Jackson North Community Hospital and the Jackson South Community Hospital, building a new rehabilitation hospital, patient tower for transplant services and 100-bed hospital in West Miami Dade County.

Interestingly enough, project priorities have been evenly split between renovation projects and replacement projects. Perhaps one of the most difficult decisions included deciding whether a building was worth renovating or if it would it be better to demolish and build from the ground up. This is not an easy decision to make and requires careful consideration.

During the webinar, Clark was asked what matrix Jackson Health uses in determining whether to renovate by adding structures versus building new from the ground up. The organization uses a Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, due diligence process when reviewing renovation project requests.

• Phase I: Look at the project initiative request, look at historical data and estimate cost per square foot to determine ROI on proposed project
• Phase II: Bring on professionals, including architects and engineers, to look more in depth at aging facilities to see if infrastructure can support new project initiative and revisit ROI
• Phase III: Bring the engineering department and architects together with non-clinical departments such as IT to ensure departments can perform non-clinical services to match project initiatives in the structure; continue with cost benefit analysis, and if it is determined that it will work, proceed to renovate; if not, look at other options such as a new build or minor expansion

In making such a crucial decision, accurate construction cost data is key. Often project estimates are compiled from individual pieces of data pulled from different sources. This can lead to less than satisfactory estimates, which will inevitably lead to losses of time and money. They may even lead to erroneous conclusions on whether to move forward with a renovation or a rebuild. Therefore, compiling current, accurate and localized construction cost data is a key best practice during the planning stage of a project.

Square foot models further offer a solution to this crucial element. Instead of piecing individual pieces of data, this tool offers customizable estimations based on factors such as building type and location. During the planning process, comparing the numbers for a renovation square foot model versus a new construction square foot model provides a clear vantage over which option best suits the project at hand.

While the above methods on their own can lead to notable improvements within health care facilities, it is when they are strategically put into action together that major time and cost savings become a reality. This will lead to both better bottom lines and better patient care.

Scott Creekmore is the director of account management, healthcare for Gordian. Creekmore has managed job order contracting programs for Harris County, Harris County Hospital District, University of North Texas, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USPS and City of New Orleans.  

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