Healthcare Excellence in Central Kentucky

Optimizing healthcare facilities nationwide is part of NexCore Group, a national healthcare developer, and Catholic Health Initiatives’
(CHI), a healthcare/hospital system, continuing program. As the two groups embarked on the journey to deliver innovative and modern healthcare facilities, Alston Construction assembled two project teams to navigate the challenges of successfully delivering two medical office buildings near Lexington, Kentucky. Over the course of 12 months, Alston worked with NexCore and CHI to deliver these state-of-the-art facilities for increased productivity and to see patients more efficiently. The Alston project team drew on thousands of square-feet of experience to construct the 25,000 SF medical office building in Winchester, Kentucky, which was completed on time and on budget.

The project stakeholders are from different regions of the country
(i.e. Colorado, Texas, Kentucky, and Nebraska), so from the beginning, it was clear that construction would need Alston’s open and collaborative approach. This started with the trade partners and labor market in the area. We utilized local subcontractors, many we have not used before, but through our robust prequalification system called Subcontractor Prequalification Evaluation & Rating System or SPERS. This system allowed us to have a greater understanding  of the local labor market, which ultimately helped us contract the same companies on the second medical office building in London, Kentucky.

Challenges abound on the project, with one of the first being the original project scope called for a 1.5-story atrium and multiple high-end finishes in the medical office building. However, the budget did not allow for all of the items requested, the Alston team knew the importance of the atrium and provided multiple cost alternatives. As a contractor with extensive design-build experience, we could align the building finishes and atrium design with the budget to deliver a similar aesthetic as originally planned. For example, we studied the drawings and found there were ten percent more electrical outlets than needed, so we were able to save more than $20,000 after we removed the excess outlets. Other cost saving items we found included: ceiling tiles, more economical lighting, and prefabricating the metal clad cable ceiling drops to keep the intricate atrium.

Once construction started, central Kentucky experienced one of the rainiest spring/summer seasons on record; the amount of rain that fell in the area vastly exceeded the 10-year average. As we started foundations, steel, and the roof, the rain created a mess under the roof, so our team temporarily clamped the windows with plywood. This not only helped with wet weather, but it helped with wintery weather and site security.

With multiple stakeholders and end users, coordinating furniture and equipment move-in and installation is like conducting a symphony. In the scope, there is a CT, MRI, X-Ray and Physical Therapy gym. All healthcare equipment was owner-furnished, so it required extensive planning and communication to ensure the equipment could properly fit and be installed. The CT equipment would be relocated from another healthcare facility nearby, so our team encouraged the moving team to diagram and create a template to avoid any conflict. Before moving the equipment, we identified from the template that we needed to add an extra hinge door for it to pass through the doorway. Within the last six weeks of construction, there were a minimum of 40 workers in the 25,000 square-foot building, which could create multiple trips and collisions; however, our project was delivered without incidents.

Alston Construction successfully delivered the medical office building on time and within budget. Now part of the Winchester community, the facility houses a variety of healthcare services, including primary care, orthopedics, cardiology, imaging, laboratory services and physical therapy. The new building offers a one-stop shop with the latest technology to care for the families in this rural community.