McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Completes Mercy Medical Center in Merced

April 26, 2010 - PRLog -- Contacts:
Jen Klein / Melinda Hepp            
Blattel Communications            
415.397.4811                  
jen@blattel.com / melinda@blattel.com       

Susan Garritano
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
314.968.3300
sgarritano@mccarthy.com


MCCARTHY BUILDING COMPANIES, INC. COMPLETES MERCY MEDICAL CENTER IN MERCED

$165 Million Replacement Hospital Utilizes Cutting-Edge and Sustainable Design and
Construction Solutions to Consolidate Two Medical Campuses

MERCED, CALIF. – Apr. 26, 2010 – McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (www.mccarthy.com) completed construction on the new $166 million Mercy Medical Center replacement hospital in Merced, Calif.  A Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) affiliate, the Mercy Medical Center opened on Apr. 23 and consolidates two existing campuses into one facility that includes an eight-level, 185-bed, 266,000-square-foot general acute tower, as well as a 19,000-square-foot central plant.

The Mercy Medical Center includes the following departments: Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Surgery Center, Operation Recovery, Labor and Delivery, Neonatal ICU, Newborn Nursery, Emergency Room and Ambulatory Care, as well as a pharmacy, cafeteria and helipad.  The facility also offers state-of-the-art data and telecommunications systems; environmentally sensitive power plant equipment; advanced mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; an emergency services response system featuring high-tech radio communications technology that covers multiple counties; a security system controlled by RS2 technologies; and external and internal design elements to promote healing.  

In addition to CHW, the primary team members, consisting of McCarthy, RBB Architects, Inc. and the owner’s construction manager Harris & Associates, worked with the owner to implement a “design-assist” delivery process to help create a soothing hospital environment engineered for today’s innovative technology standards.  This multi-faceted approach allowed the team to meet well before construction began to collaborate on design, owner/user group and Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) issues to provide a complete coordinated design that met the OSHPD criteria, as well as owner expectation.  The project was completed within schedule and under budget, and included minimal OSHPD deferred approvals and change orders, as well as reduced MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) coordination duration.
   
“The collaborative approach of all key project participants was built on trust, respect and open communication, which made this project an unprecedented success,” said Chris Dugas, area manager for design and construction, CHW.  “Project issues were aired openly and resolved with continual focus on the ultimate common goals.”
   
“We were thrilled to be an integral part in fulfilling CHW’s and Mercy Medical Center’s vision to expand its healthcare in the Merced area through this new state-of-the-art facility,” said McCarthy’s Project Director Bryan Anderson.  “The design-assist approach helped us mitigate any challenges up front while successfully meeting the project’s goals of integrating high-technological capabilities and environmentally friendly materials and processes – ultimately resulting in a project that was delivered within schedule and with substantial cost savings to CHW.”

In addition to the advanced technological capabilities, environmentally conscious construction process and materials were also a focus of Mercy Medical Center’s development plan.  The project team participated in the Savings by Design program and the Merced Irrigation District recently presented the Center with a $120,000 check for participation.  Environmental elements include: high efficiency chillers and boilers; premium efficiency motors for the cooling tower, hot water pumps, medical air and vacuum systems; and energy efficient fluorescent lighting with room occupancy sensors.  McCarthy recycled 100 percent of concrete waste, as well as more than 85 percent of all other construction materials.
   
About Catholic Healthcare West

Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is a system of 41 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona, and Nevada. Founded in 1986, it is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest private hospital system in California. CHW is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. The CHW network of nearly 10,000 physicians and approximately 54,000 employees provides health care services to more than five million people annually. In 2009, CHW provided nearly $1.2 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed patient care.  

About McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

McCarthy Building Companies, named the 2009 Contractor of the Year by California Construction, is the nation’s 10th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2009), and the second largest general contractor in California (California Construction, April 2010).  With more than 145 years of experience, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest, privately held construction firms and one of California’s premier commercial builders.  Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for healthcare, educational, commercial, parking structures, science and technology facilities, industrial, office buildings, tenant interiors, mixed-use, bridges, and highways.  In addition to Sacramento and San Francisco, McCarthy has offices in Newport Beach and San Diego, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City; Dallas; St. Louis and Atlanta.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.