By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor, Facility Market

Natural disasters test the resilience of affected healthcare facilities. The challenge for facility managers involves returning the organization to operation as quickly as possible, whether that involves applying lessons learned to damaged facilities or starting over with a new facility. 

Birmingham construction firm Robins & Morton recently completed the $43.7 million project rebuilding a Florida hospital destroyed by a 2017 hurricane, according to al.com. Baptist Health South Florida’s new Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon is a two-story, 37,330-square-foot facility with nine emergency treatment rooms, eight patient rooms and three chemo treatment rooms.

It replaces the 60-year-old hospital destroyed during Hurricane Irma. Following the impact of the storm, the new hospital sits at a higher elevation and features an impact-resistant design with durable tilt-wall concrete. Removable flood barriers are also a part of the design to keep storm surge out of the building.

The new hospital has intensive care, rehabilitation and laboratory services, with endoscopy, oncology care, imaging, biotherapy, and transfusion care.