Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Martinez | The construction of the Outpatient Annex in preparation of Walter Reed National...... read more read more
“We have a significant construction project coming up over the next seven years called the Medical Center Addition and Alteration (MCAA) Project,” said Terri Lavoie, deputy assistant chief of staff in charge of Unified Coordination Program. “We will be demolishing one-third of the medical center while we maintain 100 percent functionality.”
WRNMMC plans to centralize many of its departments after MCAA is complete.
“We will be centralizing certain functions,” Lavoie said. “We didn’t have the option to do that because of our physical layout before.”
She added the project is already underway.
“The first part of the project is called P-114, which is the pedestrian connector,” said Lavoie. “The second part of the project is ‘set two’ which is the demolition and construction.”
Since one-third of the medical center will be demolished, there must be a place for displaced departments to go.
“We can’t just put them out on Brown Drive,” explained Lavoie
That’s where the outpatient annex comes in.
“Twenty-six departments from Buildings 4, 6 and 8 will be relocated to the outpatient annex in fall 2018,” Lavoie said. “This 100,000 sq. ft. annex was constructed in its entirety off site in Pennsylvania.”
The annex was assembled in the G lot during the summer of 2017.
“The annex was delivered module by module for a total amount of 124 modules,” Lavoie said.
Keeping the operational space was a primary project goal.
“Some departments are losing some storage space, but Defense Health Agency, Walter Reed Bethesda and all the planners of this made sure that all the departments aren’t losing any operational space when they go to the temporary facility,” Lavoie said.
Lavoie said traditionally, when a department in the government is moving to a temporary facility, they lose about 20 percent of their space.
“We are asking departments as they prepare to move to downsize,” Lavoie said. “It’s just like when you are preparing to move when you PCS, you go through your stuff and get rid of things you didn’t use or won’t use.”
Departments will be moved in two phases.
“We are doing construction in a phased effort,” Lavoie said. “In total the first move will consist of 26 departments. The majority of the departments that are relocating to the annex in the first phase will actually stay there for the entire duration of construction. Twenty-three departments will be staying in the annex for the [duration of construction].”
“For the second phase, we are relocating departments from buildings 7 and 2,” Lavoie said. “We will be moving them into the annex, and then demolishing buildings 7 and 2. When construction is finished we will relocate all of the departments that are housed in the annex back into the hospital into their new location, which is MCAA North.”
Other departments that are spread throughout the hospital will be moving to their permanent location when construction is complete, creating a more centralized approach to where departments are located — departments will be closer to similar departments.
Employees and visitors will have access to refreshments at the outpatient annex.
“One of the main concerns that the staff had was they want to have a place where they can get refreshments without having to go all the way to the Main Street or the Warrior Café,” Lavoie said. “To be able to get food or drinks in the annex will be very beneficial for everyone. It can take a lot of time and energy to navigate the hospital or walk all the way to the Warrior Café.”
Lavoie said the medical center has heard those concerns and is working with the Navy Exchange to secure vendor contracts for the outpatient annex so employees and visitors have access to refreshments.
For more information contact Terri Lavoie at theresa.m.lavoie4.civ@mail.mil.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2018 08:30 |
| Story ID: | 261841 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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