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Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center Unveils STAAT Mod™ – New Prefabricated ICU Inpatient Wing to Care for COVID-19 and Critical Patients

Fort Washington, MD (May 26, 2020)–Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center today became the first hospital in the nation to install STAAT Mod (Strategic, Temporary, Acuity-Adaptable Treatment) modular units to care for COVID-19 and other critically ill patients. These units, designed by HGA and prefabricated and assembled by The Boldt Company, arrived on-site April 25, were assembled and connected to the hospital infrastructure, and are ready to receive their first COVID-19 patients this month.

In partnership with the Maryland Department of General Services, Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center sought ways to quickly provide additional ICU-bed capacity. This durable solution provides quality care to the surrounding community throughout the uncertain curve of infection.

“Maryland is proud that Fort Washington Medical Center is the first hospital in the country to receive this ICU–level of care unit,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This newly constructed unit is another example of increasing hospital capacity for care of patients suffering from COVID-19 in Prince George’s County.”

Unlike other fabricated structures designed for lower acuity patients, the innovative STAAT Mod is highly engineered to hospital–quality environments. It is a critical care inpatient unit with Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIR) that provide increased safety for both patients and caregivers.

Twelve modules were installed adjacent to the hospital offering 16 private ICU rooms with isolation and adequate support space. The process to install these STAAT Mods took two weeks to complete. The installation required a large crane to lift the modules in place in very precise movements that must be rehearsed to ensure accuracy. Each module weighs about 25,000 pounds and there is only one chance to install it correctly. Once in place, utilities, connecting mods, medical gas supply hookups, electrical, building ramps, and roofing can be completed.

“COVID-19 is an unprecedented event and we are both grateful and proud to be able to bring the cutting-edge solution to our Fort Washington location,” said Terry Forde, President and CEO, Adventist HealthCare. “Being able to deploy an ICU-level facility and care in three weeks gives our team an opportunity to help even more people in our area who need care so urgently right now.”

The STAAT Mod has a 10-year useful life, durable enough to support a longer-term strategy. The space allows the medical center the ability to separate patient populations to safely return to elective procedures without sacrificing clinical quality, safety, efficiency, or the dignity of any patient.

STAAT Mods Overview 

• Design developed and tested through Virtual Reality (VR) simulation exercises by experts, including critical care nurses trained in COVID-19 protocols, a hospital environment specialist in infection control, and Lean process engineers for rapid construction and delivery.
• Provides hospital quality clinical care for infection control, patient isolation, access to life-saving technology, and isolation rooms if needed for extended periods of time.
• HGA and The Boldt Company partnered with Tweet/Garot (mechanical subcontractor), Faith Technologies (electrical subcontractor), and IMEG (medical equipment planning) to develop the only quick-ship, prefabricated critical care units that provide hospital-quality care to patients suffering from coronavirus, and safe environments for healthcare workers.
• For the safety of caregivers, The CDC recommends AIIR for infectious patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures. Private rooms with dedicated air handling are best practice when possible, as this virus is spread via respiratory droplets or from droplet contact on surfaces. See CDC guidelines.
• The STAAT Mod includes design features that are critical to quality in healthcare environments and supported by evidence and research in infection control, wellbeing, visibility, efficacy, and deployment.

About Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center
Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center is a 37-bed acute care hospital in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The hospital operates one of the busiest emergency rooms in the metropolitan area, seeing nearly 40,000 patients each year in the Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, Temple Hills, and Accokeek areas. The hospital also provides general inpatient services. The medical center joined the Adventist HealthCare system in October 2019. Learn more at FortWashingtonMC.org and AdventistHealthCare.com.

About HGA
HGA is a national multidisciplinary design firm rooted in architecture and engineering. More than 850 people in 11 offices from coast to coast work to make a positive, lasting impact for clients in healthcare, arts and culture, community, corporate, education, government, science and technology, and energy markets. Visit www.hga.com.

About The Boldt Company
The Boldt Company (Boldt) is a leading professional construction services firm with customers across the United States and is a subsidiary of The Boldt Group. Founded in 1889, Boldt is a fourth-generation family and employee-owned firm headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin. Boldt is recognized as a pioneer in Lean construction and in the industrialized construction space. Boldt operates 18 offices across the U.S. that serve customers in healthcare, power, industrial, education, automotive and commercial markets.