Meritus Health Center RICU 

Meritus Health Center submitted an emergency certificate of need to the State of Maryland’s Healthcare Commission, which one day later approved the hospital’s plan for its permanent 2 South Regional Infectious Containment Wing. While the facility originated as a response to COVID-19, it was designed and built to contain and treat any type of infectious disease.

The 12,560-square-foot addition established a 20-bed, negative pressure and ventilator-capable unit constructed adjacent to the current wound center. The unit was designed and built in just 120 days, powered by GRAEFaccelerāte®, and started accepting patients soon afterward.

GRAEFaccelerāte® allowed for the steel framing to be erected in six weeks and the building to be airtight in two months. Utilizing this service streamlined this project and was evident with the reduction of the construction punch list from 73 items, down to only 7 open items.

In addition to concurrently designing and constructing using GRAEFaccelerāte®, the project team also brought the Washington County Permit and Inspections department into daily meetings to proactively identify areas for improvement in order to minimize delays in the permitting and life safety process. What would typically take six to nine months to design and receive a building permit, took less than six weeks.