At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, construction projects had to shut down to slow the spread.  However, healthcare construction projects were quickly deemed essential by states.  thus hospitals, outpatient centers, and medical offices were quickly able to continue building.

Re-Opening Projects

The path to re-opening these projects was not simple.  Coupled with the delays from the shutdowns, healthcare Swinerton also had to navigate keeping construction employees, healthcare workers, and patients safe.

“Very quickly, we had to communicate with the healthcare systems we work with to determine what work needed to continue, and what work was considered nonessential, to be put on the back burner,” said Christopher Morris, national healthcare director at Swinerton, a top 20 national contractor. “We had to balance what made financial and logistical sense with what would actually let these systems provide the best care and safety for their patients.”

Pivoting Projects During COVID-19

While the majority of Swinerton’s healthcare projects continued as planned, some healthcare projects had to slow down or rethink their budgets.  Of course, the Swinerton healthcare team provided recommendations for the safest and most cost-effective way to shut down the project or negotiate new construction plans.  However, the majority of projects actually ramped up construction to meet the need of the influx in COVID-19 patients.  For these projects, Swinerton helped to reconfigure timelines to speed up construction and preparing health and sanitation protocols to keep its healthcare job sites safe.  Learn more about our COVID-19 Protocol.