Q. How do you manage neighbor/Community development opposition to projects?
A. In both new construction and addition to existing facilities, there is often opposition from neighbors and community development groups who feel that their lives are being negatively impacted by proposed developments. These impacts range from folks fearing a ‘loss of serenity’ to organized opposition against hospital closures and ancillary uses such as helicopter landing pads. Although inherently confrontational, We have had great success in resolving conflicts through personal meetings, sincere interaction and applying financial resources where warranted. Often, We found that we were dealing with decades of mistrust and misinformation. Once openness, fairness and interaction are applied, the situations would always get resolved, clearing the way for the development to proceed.

Q. What if costs too much, takes too long?
A. By integrating the elements of Construction Management into the building process, we have successfully combined the art of design with the science of construction to achieve comprehensive, cost-effective project solutions to achieve overall strategic goals. This has been most dramatically, as well as recently, demonstrated at Cleveland Clinic over the past 26 years with the completion of over $7B in capital, spread over thousands of projects.

Q. How to deal with overly complex regulatory environments?
A. Healthcare construction is highly regulated with complex standards and specifications administered and enforced by several agencies ranging from local to federal. In addition to licensure (Medicare/Medicaid, Joint Commission, etc. certifications), patients’ lives, safety and health can be impacted if standards are not maintained. This risk is minimized by reducing the overall entwined steps down to basic achievable tasks that and then leading the design and construction teams through each step from project inception to commissioning.

Q. What can be done when building within healthcare institutions while they stay in operation?
A. This is complex due to infection control, noise issues, disruption of schedules, mechanical and electrical shutdowns, etc. When working around operating rooms and ICU’s the consequences of ill-timed or erroneous impacts can be fatal. This requires the highest degree of attention to detail and planning. This sets healthcare construction apart from other types of building projects. By managing the details of each project, along with having a great team of project managers who work to a high level of standards, there was never a sentinel event (An unanticipated event in a healthcare setting resulting in death or serious physical or psychological injury to a patient or patients, not related to the natural course of the patient's illness) after thousands of projects!

Q. How to handle dysfunctional design teams?
A. As is typical in the design world, once commissioned for a project a designer or architect will want to leave their imprint on an institution by designing a unique, personalized project. While that sounds delightful, it is problematic when an institution is maintaining a brand standard to assure a consistent look and delivery of services across the enterprise. Often, designers and architects will take it personally that their designs are being curtailed or changed. This has been avoided by clear, upfront communication to set expected levels of design. By engaging the design team, their creativity can be refocused on elements of the project that could withstand their inputs.