Hospital Relocation Performed with Surgical Precision

St. Anthony Hospital is recognized nationally for its orthopedic, neuroscience, cardiovascular and trauma programs. It’s part of Centura Health, the largest healthcare network in Colorado.

After building a 50-acre healthcare campus in Lakewood, Colorado, the hospital needed to move from its Denver facility into the new 50-acre campus. St. Anthony Hospital also ordered new equipment and furniture for the facility from multiple suppliers. These items had to be stored, assembled and then delivered as portions of the building were completed.

Scope of Work

• Project Planning
• Inventory Management
• Warehousing
• Assembly and Installation
• Move Management
• Disposition of Unwanted Equipment and Furnishings

Graebel maintains an experienced team focused on healthcare relocation. services. We have managed hundreds of expansion and relocation projects, including previous moves for other Centura Health facilities.

The St. Anthony campus includes advanced technology and smart building features: 

• Eight floors and 560,000 square feet
• Level I Trauma Center
• 222 private inpatient rooms including: 76 Intensive Care, 128 Medical/Surgical and 18 Inpatient Rehabilitation
• 36 Emergency Rooms
• 14 Surgical Suites
• Two medical office plazas with outpatient imaging, breast care center
  and physician offices

Precise Planning

Graebel coordinated with more than 70 internal hospital transition teams – each with unique requirements – before finalizing the multi-phased master schedule. The plan included a myriad of tightly integrated services, from relocation planning, inventory management, warehousing, assembly, to delivery and installation, all of which Graebel provided.

The Graebel team assembled some of the smaller equipment at the warehouse prior to delivery. Larger items, such as exam tables, were assembled at the new facility. In all, Graebel delivered a quarter of a million pounds of new medical equipment to the new hospital.

On the primary moving day, Graebel assigned 52 people and 13 trucks to move 32 shipments from the Denver location to the new campus. The crews followed a strict chain of custody process for relocation of the hospital pharmacy. Carts of pharmacy equipment and supplies were inventoried and then supervised until the time of transfer. The carts were escorted by Graebel project managers and St. Anthony supervisors out of the building and loaded onto secure trucks. A pharmacist was in an escort vehicle throughout the trip to the new facility where the carts were unloaded in the pharmacy personnel’s presence and escorted to a secured site in the new facility.

End-to-End Support

With the new facility up and running, Graebel coordinated the disposition of unwanted medical equipment and furniture from the Denver site. The hospital donated many of these items to other healthcare organizations, including facilities in third world countries, and Graebel assisted with the related handling and global transportation.

We had already developed a plan when we met with Graebel.
But based on their past healthcare project experience and advice, we were able to enhance it with important details.

– Administrative Director of Support Services,
St. Anthony Hospital

Challenges

• Allow for uninterrupted patient care and physician activity
• Integrate delivery of new equipment and furniture into overall move schedule
• Preserve the cleanliness of sensitive equipment and maintain the security of controlled substances

Solution

• Develop highly detailed project plans reflecting all requirements
• Engage work teams experienced in healthcare facility moves
• Utilize contamination-prevention clothing, gloves, footwear
• Follow strict chain-of-custody processes for transporting controlled substances
• Schedule daily crews according to the master project plan

Results

• A smooth transition to the new location with no significant issues
• Grand Opening was moved up three weeks thanks to the trained teams and precise project management
• Hospital donated unneeded equipment and furniture to other healthcare providers with Graebel’s assistance

Download the Case Study

For more information on Graebel healthcare expertise, read these resources:

• Healthcare team delivers on successful community hospital relocation
• Graebel Healthcare Relocation & Logistics