From Building Bridges to Building Patient Rooms

"Thank you to the Ainsworth-Benning team for the expedited effort to help us with the shelled space build-outs to support our COVID Surge Plan. Your team has done excellent work and everyone on our team has been thoroughly impressed by the speed and quality of the work performed to date." – David Ellenbecker, VP Facilities Management, Monument Health

As Monument Health in Rapid City began to anticipate a need for more patient rooms in March, its construction management team reached out to Ainsworth-Benning Construction, a division of Journey Group located in Spearfish that serves the Black Hills and surrounding areas.

“Our team immediately got to work building out temporary rooms in existing shell space,” said Bob Morcom, Ainsworth-Benning division leader. “Our Ainsworth-Benning team put in a 12-hour day after getting the initial call, laying out a plan, framing, installing blockings, sheetrocking, and taping walls.”

TSP Inc quickly reacted and helped the teams by providing an efficient and sustainable site layout and drawing.

The next day – a Saturday – Ainsworth-Benning returned to finish taping, brace walls and paint. By Monday, the team was helping Monument Health move equipment into the future patient rooms.

“Overall, our scope of work was completed in 16 hours,” Morcom said. “I’m incredibly proud of our team’s fast turnaround while maintaining our standards of safety and quality.”

The following week, Ainsworth-Benning was called on again to construct an additional 20 temporary patient rooms in a different shell space. Layout and material procurement started immediately, and Don Werner, project manager, quickly contacted Midwestern Mechanical for plumbing and medical gas installation.

“The next day, a nine-person Ainsworth-Benning crew laid out walls, framed, installed blocking and sheetrocked 90 percent of the walls in 10 hours,” Morcom said.

“Midwestern Mechanical got started on two bathrooms, a shower and hand wash sinks and started getting materials for medical gas installation. Within a matter of days, the entire project was done. We’re grateful we were able to assist Monument Health at such a critical time and that they’re now able to focus on other preparations for patients, knowing that these rooms are ready.”

To view the full article, on page 31, please follow the link: https://issuu.com/elevaterapidcity/docs/elevate_06.20/30