By Healthcare Facilities Today

ASHE recently named the latest Vista Award winners in Texas, Colorado and Georgia — all used teamwork to overcome challenges in three hospital projects. The awards, which will be presented at the International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction in March, recognize the importance of working together to optimize the healthcare physical environment, according to an article on the Medical Construction & Design magazine website.

The 2014 awards will honor the teams involved with constructing a new tower expansion at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; the renovation of the Penrose Hospital Emergency Department in Colorado Springs. and the operating suite HVAC upgrade project at the South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Ga. The teams won in the categories of new construction, renovation and infrastructure, respectively, the article said.

The University of Texas team overcame a multitude of challenges, including using a constrained footprint, building over a working hospital and weathering Hurricane Ike. Penrose St. Francis Health Services project came in ahead of schedule and under budget. The remodeling had to be accomplished during a small window of time while allowing the Level 2 Trauma emergency department to function as usual. The team upgrading the HVAC systems in the South Georgia Medical Center operating suite worked to provide proper temperature and humidity levels despite the humid southern Georgia climate. The team had limited access and a tight timeline for the project, but created a new HVAC system with setbacks for unoccupied periods. 

Read the article.