Robins & Morton, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA), McMillian Pazdan Smith and construction team members gathered to mark the official topping out of the new crisis stabilization unit to be located on the campus of the Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee, North Carolina, on July 10.
At noon, the crane operator raised the final steel beam into place, marking the facility’s structural completion. The beam was topped with an American flag and an evergreen tree, a traditional talisman to bring good fortune to the project and its future occupants.
Prior to officially kicking off the celebration lunch, Robins & Morton Superintendent Josh Farr shared a few project statistics with attendees. To date, the team has worked 156 days and 41,701 man hours, pouring 700 cubic yards of concrete, setting 500,000 pounds of steel and ultimately diverting 8,600,000 pounds of waste from the landfill.
Once complete, the addition will total 80,000 square feet and will stand two stories, both tying into the main hospital. The first floor of the new addition will include an Outpatient Behavioral Health facility, assisting patients with behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance abuse. This floor will house 13 Talking Rooms, an exam room, a small group room, a large group room, two large classrooms, an arts and crafts group room, a kitchen, and a dining/living room. To support this space, the center of the floor will contain faculty workstations and administrative offices.
The second floor will contain the Crisis Stabilization Unit with 18 inpatient health patient rooms, four acute care patient rooms, two large group therapy rooms, a dining area, a wellness gym, and an accessible patient roof deck patio. Faculty and support staff will have designated work space in the core of the floor.
In building this facility, the design and construction team was able to save approximately 31,000 square feet of a former hospital structure for renovation. Two conference rooms, two meeting rooms, a computer lab, a trauma simulation room, a new maintenance area, storage, office space and a warehouse now occupy the space.
It is slated for completion in late summer 2020