Ambulatory Care Center

NEWSOctober 2019 Volume 1

New Ambulatory Care Center reaches several major, colorful milestones

VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System

By Kevin HynesVA NWIHCS OMAHA, Neb. – For more than a year, the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System’s new, and long-awaited, Ambulatory Care Center has slowly risen out of the soil to the northeast of the current Omaha VA Medical Center, taking shape as teams of engineers and construction technicians have toiled in all sorts of unpredictable weather. In many ways, the $86 million construction effort has become a visible monument to the massive modernizations of physical infrastructure and buildings currently underway across the VA NWIHCS. So, it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that there was quite a stir as the ACC’s new multicolored windows were emplaced along the building’s west wall in late August. “Theribbonwalldefinitelygotalot of attention,” said Billy Marvel, VA senior resident engineer, who has been overseeing the project since it began in mid-2018. “It’s definitelythemostvisibleaspectof the building to date because it sits along the primary streets and sidewalks into the current hospital. So, everybody sees it and everybody is talking about it.”

While it may be the most visible aspect of the building thus far, according to Marvel it is far from the only milestone marked in August and September. For example, he said, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., recently completed installing building chillers and water towers, which will now allow the construction technicians to complete enclosing the center so that drywalling can begin. Additionally, Marvel said, much work has been done on the building’s electrical, plumbing and heating grids, while a labyrinth-like maze of steel wall studs have been placed throughout the building. McCarthy’s subcontractors have also been busy completing exterior rockwork both on the building, as well as along a path of ground that will eventually take patrons out into the planned “Healing Garden.”

See MILESTONES on 2.

Photos by Kevin Hynes

Colorful Wall: The nearly-complete “Ribbon Wall” lines the western wall of the new Ambulatory Care Center in Omaha.

Careful Work: A pair of construction engineers carefully move a pane of colored glass into position in late August as the “Ribbon Wall” comes to life.

Ambulatory Care Center News2 October 2019

Tell Us What You’re Thinking

Construction crews recently completed installing the multi-colored windows on the west side of the ACC. What do you think these windows symbolize?

Ambulatory Care Center newsletter to provide important, interesting updates

“Just a colorful addition to make it look nice.”

Lori DierkingClinical Applications

Coordinator

“It could be the colors of the rainbows or maybe to represent the United States.”. Anthony Szatko

U.S. Navy Veteran

“Something new?”. Jesse Lee

U.S. Army Veteran

“I believe it was a decision to add color to the campus and to represent the different cultures and backgrounds in the VA.”. Bret Jones

UNMC Resident Physician

“We’re right on schedule and right on budget,” Marvel said in mid-September. “That’s a pretty remarkable thing, too, because the weather has been just brutal, ranging from an extremely snowy winter to an extremely wet spring and summer.” “But, the contractor has kept this project right on schedule,” Marvel said. He added that when the ACC is completed, it will be an amazing building. “What you can see on the outside already is pretty impressive,” he said. “Once people see what is going on inside, they’re going to be equally impressed.” “Itisdefinitelygoingtobe something that we’re all extremely proud of.”

MILESTONES continued from 1.

Greetings and welcome to ourfirsteditionofthenewVA NWIHCS Ambulatory Care Center News newsletter. Produced and published by our Public Affairs Officestaff,thisnewsletter has been designed to provide you with important and interesting updates about our new Ambulatory Care Center. In this newsletter you will notonlyfindarticlesdescribingthe current construction, but also what the staff of your VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System is doing to prepare themselves for the opening of this long-awaited and much-needed center. If you have been to our Omaha VAMC campus recently, you have undoubtedly seenthatsignificantprogresshas been made on the ACC, including the installation of the beautiful, multi-colored “Ribbon Wall” on the western side of the building. This ribbon

wall is designed to represent the various ribbons our American

military service men and women earned while serving their nation in the Armed Forces of the United States.

It is an appropriate symbol for all that they have done to secure the freedoms each and every one of us enjoys as citizens of the United States. It is also a very visible reminder of the mission of Veterans Affairs: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” While the “Ribbon Wall” is probably the most visible milestone, it is far from the only one. Great progress has been made to ensure that our ACC will serve our Veterans for long into future. I hope that you share my pride in knowing that we are helping shape the future of our VA in Nebraska and Western Iowa today.

B. Don BurmanVA NWIHCS

Director

Photos courtesy of Greg Loyd

Interior Work: Much work has been completed in the Ambulatory Care Center, including plumbing, heating, electrical grids and steel wall frames.

Ambulatory Care Center News3 October 2019

Omaha staff begin planning for ‘Day in the Life’ exercise as Ambulatory Care Center takes shape

By Kevin HynesVA NWIHCS

OMAHA, Neb. – It has been said that practice makes perfect. Thatwasdefinitelythegoalwhena group of VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System staff members gathered at the Omaha VA Medical Center’s education conferenceroomtoconductthefirst“Day in the Life” planning session for the new Ambulatory Care Center. According to Greg Loyd, one of twoactivationofficersforthenewACC, the “Day in the Life” kickoff meeting was designed to identify and develop several different scenarios that the Omaha staff will train on before the ACC opens late next summer. “The Day in the Life exercises will test all of the planning that has gone into preparing to move into the ACC,” Loyd said. “This is like a dress rehearsal in that we will

track the Veterans all the way from check in, to appointment and then to discharge.” Loyd said the planning session and the actual two Day in the Life exercises that will take place prior to the opening of the ACC are extremely important. “(It helps us ensure we) maintain a safe healthcare culture for our Veterans and their families,” he said. According to Amy Rosauer, VA NWIHCS chief of Medical Media whose staff will serve as the scenario developers and facilitators, the initial kickoff meeting helped set expectations and goals for the upcoming exercise. “Overall, I think it went well,” Rosauer said. “We were able to identify a number of key areas that we want to focus on, which will allow us to begin developing the actual scenarios.” “It’sdefinitelyexcitingtobeapart of such a major project as this,” she added. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Listening Carefully: Maria Wollen, assistant chief of Learn-ing Resources, takes notes as other Omaha staff members discuss goals for the upcoming Ambulatory Care Center “Day in the Life” exercises.

Discussing Goals: (From left) Tammy Bockman, Dr. Matthew Rivard and Dr. Renee Woerher listen as Amy Richards discusses some of the procedures that should be tested during next year’s “Day in the Life” exercises for the new Ambulatory Care Center.

Developing Ideas: Kami Willett, clinical simulation instructor for the Learning Resource Services office in Omaha, records ideas on butcher block paper during a “Day in the Life” planning session.

Photos by Kevin Hynes

Ambulatory Care Center News4 October 2019

2016 CHIP-IN Act set stage for Omaha to begin much needed ACC construction effort

How Did We Get Here?

OMAHA, Neb. – Billy Marvel has seen and been a part of a lot of construction projects in his day. A former member of the U.S. Navy Seabees (U.S. Naval Construction Force), Marvel has worked on projects for the U.S. Navy, civilian industry and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs where he most recently oversaw the construction of the VA’s new 1.4 million square-foot hospital in New Orleans. But, he admits with a quick grin, he’s never worked on anything quite like the new Veterans Ambulatory Care Center that has been growing out of the grounds of the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System’s Omaha campus since last summer. Then again, who has? “It really is unlike anything that has ever been done before in federal construction,” Marvel said recently. The Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) is a unique – some would say revolutionary – concept in federal construction in that it is combining both federal and private funds to construct. It is so unique, in fact, that it took a special act of the U.S. Congress to make it a reality. Called the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 – or CHIP-IN Act, the law authorized VA to accept donations fromuptofivenon-federalentitiesto help fund and expedite the construction of health-care related capital projects. The act was championed by Nebraska’s U.S. Senator Deb Fischer and then-U.S. Representative Brad Ashford to expedite a much-needed modernization of Nebraska VA facilities after a plan to build a new VA hospital in Omaha fell through. Following its passage, Fischer lauded the effort. “The idea behind the CHIP IN for Vets Act is simple: let local communities help with the

planning and construction of Veteran health care projects. Let them bring to the table their expertise and their sincere desire to give back to those who have given so much for them,” Fischer wrote in December 2016. “TheVAhasalreadyidentifiedthese communities, in Nebraska and across America. These are local leaders, with expertise in aligning both design and medical teams in constructing medical facilities. They are ready, willing, and able to partner with veterans and the VA to bring these projects in on-time and on-budget.” ‘ “Thisislocalismatitsfinest;thisis America at her best,” she added. The VA partnered with the Heritage Group, an Omaha-based non-profitorganizationthathadhelped build Omaha’s Holland Center, TD Ameritrade Park and the CHI Health Center, to help build the new ACC. Through Heritage’s efforts, Omaha’s business and leadership community donated roughly $30 million, which was then paired with the VA’s original $56 million that had been originally ear-marked for the

design of a new hospital. Construction on the project began in May 2018 under the direction of the Veterans Ambulatory Center Development Corporation (VACDC), with McCarthy Building Companies Inc. providing construction assistance, and Leo A. Daly providing architectural and design support. When completed, the new project will consist of new state-of-the-art outpatient and specialty clinics – includingthefirstOmaha,Nebraska,Veteran Women’s Health Clinic – as wellfivenewoperatingroomsandahost of others much-need services. According to Marvel, it’s exciting to be part of such and innovative and cutting-edge project that will set the standard for others to match. He added he is constantly asked how things are going. “The biggest questions I am always asked are, ‘Are we on schedule and on budget?’ I am proud to say we are,” Marvel said. “I am also proud to say that when it’s completed, the staff and our Veterans are going to be amazed at what we have built for them.”

Photo by Kevin Hynes

Waiting Their Turn: Construction supplies awaiting to be installed into the new Ambulatory Care Center stand behind the south side of the ACC on Sept. 19. Many of the windows have already been installed on this side of the center.

By Kevin HynesVA NWIHCS