New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone

By Michael Beaton, Weed Army Community Hospital Public AffairsJuly 16, 2015

New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
1 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
2 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
3 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
4 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
5 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
6 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Weed Army Community Hospital Construction reaches important milestone.
7 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" (a precast panel celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached) ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and Turner Construction Company hosted a "First Precast Panel Celebration" and on-site luncheon on July at Fort Irwin on July 15. The celebration marks a critical milestone met in the construction of the new Weed Army Community Hospital replacement facility scheduled for completion in the fall of 2016.

"A Precast Panel Celebration happens on the day a structure has its first exterior panel attached." said Maj. Jeffrey Beeman, Los Angeles District deputy resident engineer for the hospital replacement project. "Essentially what it signifies is that we are sealing the interior of the building from the elements. For the public it means that starting today the building begins to take on the appearance of how the architect envisioned it."

"The event marks a significant milestone in the construction of the new hospital which is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2016" said Beeman.

More than 150 people from the Corps, the Turner Construction Company, as well as representatives from the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Irwin and the Weed Army Community Hospital attended the event and luncheon.

"One of the things we are especially proud of is our safety record on this project." said Michael Cogan, deputy chief of safety, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District. "Today also marks 1010 days of construction without a single accident. This is a huge project and everyone takes job safety very seriously."

Cogan attributed the outstanding safety record to the fact that everyone is empowered to stop any unsafe act or condition on site at any time, and that professional practices and procedures are stringently followed by everyone on the site -- from congressional official visitors to people delivering supplies and equipment.

"This is a great day, but we still have a lot to do." said Cogan. "This new hospital is going to set a lot of standards -- safety is only one of many- and we are immensely proud of it."

ABOUT THE NEW WEED ARMY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

The new hospital project at Fort Irwin consists of a 216,000 square foot hospital facility which provides Soldier and family patient care, emergency medicine, and a wide variety of clinical support. Additionally, the project includes a 9,000-square-foot renovation of the Mary E. Walker Center and construction of a helipad, ambulance shelter, central utilities plant, and photovoltaic farm which will provide sustainable energy to the hospital and adjacent hospital facilities.

No less important, the hospital will also support brigade-size units that rotate in and out regularly for training at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin's largest tenant. The NTC hosts approximately 50,000 visiting service members on training rotation per year.

As well as being environmentally friendly and state-of-the-art energy efficient, the facility is being designed to achieve Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest qualification and rating attainable for energy and resource efficiency in design and construction.

The new hospital plans also include several features that are part of a concept called evidence-based design. These design elements ultimately improve patient outcomes, reduce stress for staff members and improve overall safety, according to project architect Mark Hurtubise.

Artist renderings of the new Weed Army Community Hospital can be found online at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/133649090@N04/sets/72157653856591269

To learn more about the people and facilities of the Weed Army Community Hospital and the National Training Center at Fort Irwin visit the official NTC website at www.irwin.army.mil

Related Links:

Weed Army Community Hospital on Facebook

Weed Army Community Hospital on Flickr

National Training Center Fort Irwin

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Video on DVIDS

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District on Flickr

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Video on YouTube