SANTA ROSA, Calif. – With a few clicks of a mouse, the community logged on to witness the “topping out” of Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital’s new three-story expansion. The medical facility reached its latest construction milestone on July 30 and marked the occasion with a virtual gathering, where viewers watched as the final structural steel beam was secured into place. Hospital staff; elected officials, including Congressman Mike Thompson and Susan Gorin, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors; HerreroBOLDT crewmembers; and the public, all tuned in.
Hospital CEO Dan Peterson kicked off the program and acknowledged the unusual online ceremony made necessary by the pandemic. “This is no traditional ‘topping out.’ We’re using technology to keep everyone safe, and we’re making history with one of the country’s first virtual topping out celebrations.”
Watch the full program below.
Healthcare, Always in Demand
The healthcare industry continues to be one of the largest and fastest growing in the U.S. The country’s aging Baby Boomer population, plus the addition of the COVID-19 crisis, has only made healthcare more taxed and in demand than ever.
“Today healthcare is on all our minds as we face the continued threat of coronavirus pandemic. This facility will expand our ability to deliver quality care no matter the crisis we face—a pandemic, wildfires or earthquakes,” said Congressman Thompson. “I can’t wait to celebrate, hopefully in person, when we cut the ribbon to open the space.”
Supervisor Gorin added, “Sutter has been a vital partner to Sonoma County for almost three decades, and this expansion is the embodiment of its continued commitment to the community. This hospital will provide high-quality care to residents in a state-of-the-art, seismically safe and environmentally conscious setting.”
Expansion Will Add Hospital Bed Capacity
Sutter Health has invested $158 million to expand the hospital to increase capacity, adding 40 all-private patient rooms, 13 outpatient care unit beds, an 11-bed post-acute care unit bay, and 21 emergency department bays. The first phase of the three-story tower will add 67,000 square feet of space and is scheduled for completion in spring 2022. It will be followed by a phase II renovation to expand the hospital’s emergency department and support services in fall 2022.
“Today’s ceremony is a celebration of a momentous achievement for our hospital that will help us serve our patients and our community for generations to come. Everyone at Sutter Santa Rosa knows the hard work it’s taken to reach this milestone, and I want to offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our team, which has continually served this community with integrity and compassion,” said Peterson.
Out with The Shovels and in with The Sharpies
Ahead of the event, hospital staff, physicians and construction crewmembers were invited to sign their names on the final beam. Former hospital CEO, Mike Purvis, was even on hand to add his name to history.
“It warms my heart to know that this beam was personally signed by our hospital’s doctors, nurses, staff and construction crew—all important players in our hospital’s future,” said Peterson. “Once the beam is bolted into place, it will signify that we’re ready for the next chapter in our 2022 hospital expansion.”
Construction in the Time of COVID
From first learning of the pandemic, the HerreroBOLDT team made worker safety its number one priority, ensuring proper social distancing and masking.
“Our biggest accomplishment thus far has been that we have not had a single case of COVID-19 spread on our project,” said Tom Guardino, HerreroBOLDT project superintendent. “Our entire team has been committed to early proactive behaviors.”
Crunching the Numbers of Hauling Dirt & Erecting Steel
• During the preparation of the project site, crews hauled off 3,300 yards of dirt—enough to fill 1.5 Olympic-size swimming pools.
• During the foundations phase, teams poured 1,987 yards of concrete. It was delivered in 223 concrete trucks and represents 8 million 47 thousand pounds of concrete.
• Roughly 196 thousand pounds of reinforcing was used to strengthen the building’s foundations. If stretched out in a continuous line, it would span more than 7 miles.
• The expansion consists of 441 tons of structural steel, weighing about 882,000 pounds. To put that into perspective, an average blue whale weighs about 110 tons. That means the building’s steel weighs about four blue whales.
“We are excited about the opportunity to build such an important project in the North Bay. A lot of our construction works are from this area. We’ve enjoyed a long and successful history with Sutter, and we are proud to be part of a project that will give back to the community for years to come,” Guardino said.
About Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital
Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, part of Sutter Health’s not-for-profit integrated network of care, is an 84-bed acute care hospital that offers an extensive array of inpatient and outpatient services. The facility opened in 2014 and has a long, proud history of providing high quality care in Sonoma County and beyond. Because of an unwavering focus on health and healing the hospital is consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals in the region.
