Expanding Healthcare Education

As New England’s largest simulation teaching facility, the Center for Education, Simulation, and Innovation (CESI) is a world-renowned training center offering students, physicians, and healthcare professionals the opportunity to advance their education. Located on Hartford Hospital’s main campus, its mission is to promote excellence in clinical care, advance patient safety, and improve multidisciplinary team performance through high-fidelity medical simulation. To improve its already renowned services, Hartford Hospital realized that CESI needed a new state-of-the-art facility in order to grow. With an investment of more than $34 million ($15 million granted by the state), the 25,000-square foot addition includes procedure labs, task training labs, and classrooms.

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Challenge

The project site was located within an active hospital. Patient care was a constant consideration and we worked closely with the Project Team and Hartford Hospital staff so that construction did not disrupt hospital operations. Furthermore, the proposed building was designed to include a tunnel to provide vehicular access from the street to the rear of the site. Special consideration was taken for the proposed utilities that had to be routed through the tunnel, which included relocating an active sewer main.

Collaboration

This many-phased project required collaboration amongst many stakeholders. Fuss & O’Neill provided civil engineering services for the design, permitting, and construction phases of the project as a subconsultant to Tecton Architects. We performed asbestos abatement and environmental remediation services working directly for Hartford Hospital. We also worked very closely with hospital staff and administration to ensure that project progress did not interfere with patient care.

Practice Areas Involved

Design

To facilitate this expansion, Fuss & O’Neill provided hazardous building materials abatement, environmental remediation, and site/civil engineering services for this project. We spearheaded the PCB remediation and performed hazardous material abatement project monitoring and associated re-occupancy air clearance testing. We sampled water that had collected in utility tunnels beneath the building and prepared the registration package for the General Permit for the Discharge of Groundwater Remediation Wastewater to a Sanitary Sewer. We provided environmental engineering support for the assessment and remediation of the site, which included a subsurface investigation to characterize soil that was excavated during construction and providing environmental data to assist in proper management of the soil throughout the project. Lastly, we worked closely with the Project Team so that the proposed site design would complement the building, enhance the use of the facility, and conform to local and state regulations.

Impact

The CESI expansion will have an immediate impact on the medical community and its patients. Simply put, additional space for training means more medical professionals can be trained. This training directly benefits those requiring medical assistance and leads to innovations and advancements in treatment. Furthermore, as a good portion of training is provided to non-Hartford HealthCare employees, large group of trainees boosts Connecticut’s economy. Approximately 11,000 students trained yearly when the hospital was in its previous configuration; doubling the learning space will fill even more local hotel rooms and restaurants.