Building a second story on top of an active hospital creates interesting logistical challenges in the best of times. Building that addition during a pandemic? That is truly a “whole other story.”

The tale begins in south-central Kentucky, when Bowling Green Medical Center, the biggest hospital in town, decided it needed a new hybrid operating room to meet community needs.

Hybrid ORs provide expanded, complex healthcare options by combining surgery with imaging – two procedures that are typically conducted in separate areas. Putting both functions in one “hybrid” room creates new possibilities for doctors and patients, and new challenges for construction teams.

Our Bowling Green team took on the job knowing it would be difficult: The team had only five months to build the operating suite, and the work had to be done without impacting day-to-day activities in the busy hospital. Patient care could not be compromised.

To accomplish that, our team developed an aggressive schedule that included working around the clock and on weekends. We knew we could save time by using our innovative technology, including building information modeling (BIM) and prefabrication of steam stations. 

What we couldn’t know, going in, was that COVID-19 would hit right after construction began, complicating everything from customer communications to on-site morale – working at a hospital, during a pandemic, wasn’t something the crew expected.

Hybrid success

Leadership and teamwork. Communications and computers. Innovative technology and plain old hard work. The hybrid OR expansion project for Bowling Green Medical Center was a hybrid success throughout, a demonstration of what can be accomplished when dedicated professionals face their fears, focus on the job at hand, and do what needs to be done.

P.S. Bowling Green Medical Center Hybrid OR was one of 5 Lee Company projects honored with a 2020 ABC award – and several of those projects received multiple awards! Altogether, Lee Company took home 9 ABC awards this year. That’s incredible. We greatly appreciate this industry recognition of our dedicated professionals and their work. Thanks to our team and customers. We couldn’t do it without you!