President and CEO of STARC Systems, Chris Vickers, recently shared with us his perspectives on trends in temporary containment for healthcare renovations—including pandemic response lessons he thinks will carry forward, how inputs from STARC customers are shaping and leading important design advancements and his predictions for the future of modular temporary containment in healthcare. STARC Systems is re-imagining what’s possible with modular temporary containment for occupied renovation in healthcare and other highly specialized environments.

HCO: Take us back to when you first entered the industry. What did the temporary containment for healthcare renovations landscape look like?
CV: At the time I joined STARC about four years ago, the majority of temporary containment was being done with traditional methods – typically either plastic or drywall. Modular containment had only been around for five to ten years at that point and the industry didn’t yet see reusable modular as an option. A huge amount of education was needed. However, those who did use modular immediately saw the benefits over traditional containment methods.

HCO: In what ways have you observed the modular temporary containment industry change or grow over the last 3-5 years?
CV: Prior to the pandemic, construction had been very strong for several years, especially for healthcare renovation. An aging population is creating an ongoing, increased demand for services. These factors are coupled with the healthcare industry being a highly competitive and innovative space. Leaders are always pushing for the best for their patients and staff. When healthcare systems bring in a new piece of equipment, or need to upgrade facilities, the bar is especially high for making those improvements without impacting patient and staff safety or caregiving.  Healthcare, like any industry, is impacted by things like economic slow-downs – but they must continue to innovate and meet needs, regardless of conditions.

Another significant change is people now have a much better idea of what reusable modular temporary containment is and what the benefits are, especially for the healthcare environment. We’ve put a lot of energy into getting the word out and educating the market. The biggest education challenge we encounter is that while modular is more expensive upfront than traditional methods like drywall would be for one phase, it can be used in multiple phases, and multiple projects, which results in it quickly paying for itself.

HCO: What makes modular temporary containment particularly suited for the healthcare environment?
CV: As your readers know, with healthcare there are very strict codes around infection control. The highest infection control rating, ICRA Class IV, requires that sensitive areas have negative air pressure created within the renovation space to prevent dust and debris or pathogens from escaping into the occupied space. If you think about the renovation of an office building versus the renovation in a healthcare setting, the healthcare setting containment is so much more critical because of the potential for spreading of infection. Today, given the pandemic, we realize that protecting those occupied spaces during renovation means not only cutting down on dust, debris and noise, but also making sure there is not an opportunity for infection to spread across the building.

There are also added safety concerns to consider when using a traditional method like drywall. For example, installing drywall creates a lot of dust and debris – which means you actually have to contain the area while you’re building it. It also takes a long time to put up. If you need to move down the hall or around the corner, you must rip it down and put it back up. All of this results in added time and extra disruption to patients and staff.

HCO: Are these safety considerations a big part of the design process for STARC?
CV: Absolutely. That is really where it all started. Our founder was a healthcare contractor who was frustrated with using drywall for all its shortcomings. This is actually why he came up with this product. First and foremost, he wanted it to meet ICRA Class IV standards. This means, unlike some other options, we design gasketing and panel connections into our solutions which create foolproof, airtight connections. These design features make it possible to sustain the negative air pressure necessary to meet even the most stringent ICRA Class IV requirements.

HCO: How do you imagine lessons from the pandemic will carry forward in modular temporary containment?
CV: During the pandemic, renovation actually slowed down. What we found was that modular walls were being used to create isolation of Covid patients – much like the critical need of keeping dust and debris from moving out of the renovation area. STARC panels kept the virus from moving out of patient rooms and into the occupied space. From this perspective, I think people realized that modular walls in healthcare systems present the distinct benefit of increasing the capacity for isolation space. Infection control, while always a high priority, will likely be a much bigger issue post pandemic. Hospitals will be looking to renovate rooms (like emergency rooms) to ensure they can keep patients separated from others who are or may be infected. Modular temporary containment will certainly be needed for a part of that renovation. Additionally, modular will also be a bigger part of permanent design in hospitals to create more flexibility and ability to meet constantly changing situations. Lastly, fast space reconfiguration needs will also carry forward post pandemic – and an area modular walls are particularly primed for.

HCO: Beyond pandemic response, what are the most common containment questions, challenges or inputs you field from customers?
CV: There are two big areas that people bring up. One is cost. And because contractors are focused on bringing projects in under budget, they are understandably very focused on the here and now. It’s not always immediately apparent that a product like a temporary wall is actually a capital expense – like a piece of machinery, which you can charge a small portion on one project and do that again three or four times and get your money back. We work to get folks over the hurdle in understanding there doesn’t need to be a one time use charged to the project.

The second topic brought up a lot is the need for a modular wall system when a one hour fire rated barrier is required for the project. The need is driven by national, regional and local codes. These codes often state that if you’re renovating a space and impact the fire rated wall during that renovation – which is almost all the time – you need to have a one hour fire rated temporary containment wall to protect that area, unless a working sprinkler system is being used. Many times, especially in major cities and in California, a one hour fire rated temporary containment wall is required. To date, the traditional method is building drywall – to the deck above, through the spaghetti of pipes and wires – which is a very costly and time consuming effort. I think the market has an unmet need and one that people continue to ask us about.

HCO: What do you do when you find unmatched needs like one hour fire rated temporary containment?
CV: The fire-rated wall solution has proven to be elusive. We’ve spent a considerable amount of R&D effort knowing that customers are looking for a solution. When they buy products that work in one area, they wish they could buy a product that works in a one hour fire rated application. We are very excited to be launching the first to market one hour fire-rated, reusable modular wall. It will change the market – much like the way modular wall systems did for the non-fire rated environment five to ten years ago. Customers who are already field testing the product have expressed a ton of excitement about it and about helping us better understand their needs. We’re planning to be in market with our FireblockWall this summer.

HCO: Where can our readers find more information about the new fire rated wall?
CV: We have information and a full guide about our FireblockWall Fire Rated Containment Solutions here. We are also hosting informational webinars over the next several months.

HCO: Is there one thing you think people in the industry should be thinking about more?
CV: I think hospitals, architects and everyone involved in design really should be thinking about using modular to be prepared and flexible for future changing needs, not just as a reactionary tool. We’ve all learned it is impossible to have enough – or the right – space ready to go when something like a pandemic surge hits. We now have the possibility and really, the need, to incorporate modular when thinking about permanent design.

HCO: Sounds like an exciting time for the company?
CV: It’s really great to be part of a company whose mission is to help make the world and facilities safe from infection and allow people to continue to work in that environment. I’m most excited about our team of people who deliver the highest quality and service – and who every day provide us with new, innovative ideas based on customer’s needs and requests.

The post Expert Q&A: Temporary Containment for Occupied Healthcare Renovation appeared first on HCO News.

BRUNSWICK, Maine—Temporary wall constructors STARC Systems is ramping up more manufacturing of its products to assist healthcare operators who must continue to isolate covid-19 patients as emergency rooms, hospitals and other facilities have been overwhelmed by the winter surge of cases.

STARC announced that they will be assisting facilities to reconfigure their covid wards and various other patient areas so as to properly isolate patients from one another, as well as from healthcare workers.  The work was even more timely given that portions of the funds provided by CARES Act were due to expire at the end of 2020, so STARC got its project into higher gear.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, STARC’s temporary walls were primarily installed at construction locations, wherein they could more easily remove airborne dust and other particles that could be inhaled by construction workers.  However, in light of the pandemic, STARC’s walls are being used to fashion airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR), which direct air out and away from patients and healthcare workers.  This way, airborne pathogens are removed from the environment rather than potentailly inhaled by patients and healthcare workers who are tending to them.  STARC’s walls are able to be installed quickly, and each individual compartment entails negative pressure, meaning the air is sucked away from the compartment rather than recirculated.

Several national healthcare operators, including PruittHealth, have been investing in STARC’s temporary walls so that they can be implemented systemwide in response to the need for isolation.

“We consider STARC walls another form of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the fight against COVID-19,” Neil L. Pruitt Jr., PruittHealth’s chairman and CEO, said in a recent statement, adding that the brisk setup of the STARC walls made them easy to implement at PruittHealth’s various locations.  “We saw quickly how STARC’s flexible modular systems could be deployed to a PruittHealth location and assist in our infection control efforts … in any of PruittHealth’s 96 skilled nursing centers across the Southeast.”

STARC Systems says that their temporary walls exceed ICRA Class IV and ASTM E-84 isolation requirements.

Chris Vickers, president and CEO of STARC Systems, added that his firm found a mission to work with large healthcare operators such as PruittHealth to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers alike as the entire world faces down a once-in-a-century pandemic.

“STARC has continued to invest in production, inventory and hiring to accelerate manufacturing to meet customers’ delivery needs,” Vickers said in a recent statement.  “We understand the sense of urgency to get our isolation solutions to the frontline workers who need it most, and remain committed to helping as many healthcare facilities and systems as possible take advantage of the CARES Act funds before it expires.”

STARC’s products have already been installed for clients including Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

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BRUNSWICK, Me.—Temporary wall manufacturer STARC Systems has announced that it is redirecting the entirety of its operations into the construction of critical care isolation rooms for the nation’s healthcare facilities at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has seen hospitals struggling to provide adequate patient care. STARC, which is headquartered a half-hour from Portland, said the purpose of this shift was to create more overflow space for healthcare facilities crucially in need of space to treat covid-19 patients and keep them segregated from those who do not have the virus—as well as reduce the chances that healthcare workers themselves will contract the disease while providing treatment to those already infected.

Prior to the pandemic, STARC’s “temporary wall” units were utilized primarily as a way to reduce the chances of dust, debris and pathogens moving from construction worksites to patients during renovation projects at hospitals including Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Seattle Children’s. However, the new paradigm for the separation device is, rather than keeping germs “in,” to prevent them from escaping the enclosed facility, which the firm accomplishes with what it calls “negative pressure isolation anterooms and airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR).” Entire wings of a facility can thus be isolated with the temporary walls to effectively craft new standalone rooms.

In the final week of March, STARC Systems, based in Brunswick, announced that its work was considered “essential” at a time when Maine Gov. Janet Mills ordered many businesses—mostly in hospitality, entertainment and service—to cease most operations. Maine’s border with Canada was also closed in the middle of last month to non-essential international traffic.

To meet the demand for negative pressure isolation rooms, STARC is working in concert with vendors to speed up the procurement of raw materials and also increasing the number of shifts for workers to produce the temporary walls. STARC’s existing customers are being asked to donate any of their previously purchased, but unused, wall panels to local healthcare facilities to increase the ability to fashion more isolation rooms.

Furthermore, STARC’s production facilities were redesigned so that workers can maintain adequate “social distancing” during their shifts. STARC is also granting its employees extra sick days as they continue working during the pandemic.

“With the unprecedented health risks our country is facing, we knew we had to quickly repurpose and increase our resources to help reduce the spread of coronavirus,” Chris Vickers, president and CEO of STARC Systems, said in a statement. “Time is our biggest concern. Healthcare facilities need isolation rooms now, not two months from now. Significantly investing in our production facility will ensure we meet more demand and avoid any delays.”

STARC said that its isolation rooms exceed the ICRA Class IV and ASTM E-84 healthcare requirements for infection control, and that their surfaces can be quite easily and quickly disinfected.

Brian Hamilton, director of healthcare and life sciences at client Consigli Construction, said that his firm has relied for years on STARC’s solutions to providing a safe environment for healthcare workers and patients during renovation projects. “Now, STARC has become critical in our response to provide hospitals with immediate patient isolation rooms to reduce the spread of coronavirus,” Hamilton said in a statement.

STARC Systems’ previous work has included projects at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic.

“As an ‘essential’ infrastructure company, we feel a great deal of responsibility to do all we can while maintaining the health and safety of our employees,” said Vickers, STARC’s president and CEO.

The post STARC Systems Moves Focus to Healthcare Isolation Rooms appeared first on HCO News.