Covid-19 Surge | YKH Consulting LLC

COVID-19 Surge Project

Rapid Mobilization & Project Scope

On March 23, 2020, YKH Consulting, LLC was activated to lead a critical COVID-19 Surge Project, overseeing a team of 12 mechanical, electrical, and plumbing professionals and manufacturer representatives. The project required the rapid renovation of approximately 125,000 square feet to accommodate increased patient capacity and ensure the hospital’s operational readiness.

Executing Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this ambitious project required an intense workforce, averaging between 150-200 personnel on-site per day, working seven days a week. Over the span of four weeks, an estimated 60,000+ man-hours were dedicated to completing the infrastructure upgrades—work that would typically take three months under normal conditions.

Key Project Achievements:

Mechanical System Overhaul: Restored/Replaced 17 air handling units.
Medical Gas System Overhaul: Replaced over 13,000 linear feet of medical gas piping on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors within two weeks.
Plumbing System Restoration: Tested the entire sanitary sewer system through the 5th floor, repairing piping as needed.
Elevator Repairs: Restored functionality to three elevators.
Life Safety & Access Control: Brought floors 3-5 up to code, addressing access control and fire-stopping requirements, and installed a new nurse call system.
Utility Back-up: Procured and installed a new 1,750kW diesel generator.
Isolation Room Conversions: Transformed patient rooms into 16 isolation rooms (9 negative-air and 7 positive-air rooms).
Headwall Installations: Installed 52 new headwalls to support patient care.
C-Section Suite: Renovated existing rooms and created a new operating room.
Med Surge ICU’s: Converted 78 pediatric rooms into adult ICU’s.

Unprecedented Speed and Execution

All work was completed within three weeks under continuous 24/7 operations. The scale and speed of this project were unprecedented—what typically would have taken three months was accomplished in record time. Industry professionals have widely acknowledged this effort as a remarkable achievement in rapid healthcare infrastructure deployment.

Phase 1: Surge Infrastructure Upgrades at Schumpert St. Mary’s Hospital, Shreveport, LA

As the foundation for Phase 2, YKH Consulting spearheaded the revitalization of Schumpert St. Mary’s Hospital, which had been inactive for nearly five years. This critical infrastructure project ensured the hospital could support the anticipated surge in patients by modernizing essential building systems.

Mechanical Scope: Restored/Replaced 17 air handling units to restore proper ventilation and climate control. New ductless split systems were installed in all IS rooms to provide localized temperature regulation.
Medical Gas Scope: Replaced all piping from the supply to the zone boxes on each floor to ensure a reliable and compliant medical gas distribution system.
Plumbing Scope: Identified and replaced sections of 32 waste risers that had deteriorated due to prolonged nonuse, ensuring a fully operational waste disposal system.
Steam System Scope: Replaced hundreds of strainers, traps, and vacuum breakers to restore system functionality. Two new heat exchangers were installed to bolster the hospital's heating capabilities.
Electrical Scope: Ensured continuous and emergency power availability by upgrading electrical systems by installing a new 1750kW utility backup generator and a medium voltage transfer switch. This required a full coordination study to optimize power distribution efficiency and reliability.

By executing these extensive infrastructure upgrades, YKH Consulting laid the groundwork for the hospital to accommodate the next phase of the COVID-19 response, ensuring a safe, efficient, and resilient environment for patients and medical staff.

Phase 2: Surge Build-Out at Schumpert St. Mary’s Hospital, Shreveport, LA

This phase focused on revitalizing and licensing critical areas to facilitate the transfer of pediatric patients, ensuring adequate space for Phase 3 space conversion. The upgrades enhanced patient care capacity, improved infrastructure reliability, and optimized medical workflows. Key areas addressed in this phase included:

Basement (1,850 ft²): Body Holding
Floor 1 (6,850 ft²): Admitting, Warming Kitchen, Pharmacy, Lab
Floor 2 (4,000 ft²): Elevator Lobbies, ICU, Medical Equipment
Floor 3 (49,400 ft²): NICU, C-Section, Antepartum Expansion
Floor 4 (24,250 ft²): PICU Expansion
Floor 5 (7,800 ft²): Pediatric Isolation Rooms
Total Area: 92,300 ft²

The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing improvements in Phase 2 were designed to enhance the hospital's operational efficiency and ensure a seamless transition for patient care. Key enhancements included:

Mechanical Scope: Balanced air terminals to optimize airflow and ensure proper ventilation.
Medical Gas Scope: Installed new piping from zone valve boxes to headwalls to ensure reliable gas distribution; developed and implemented a new in-wall headwall design for improved functionality.
Plumbing Scope: Installed new plumbing fixtures to support expanded healthcare operations.
Electrical Scope: Converted headwall electrical from in-patient to critical care standards; transitioned receptacles from general care to pediatric-specific configurations; installed a new nurse call system for enhanced communication and patient care; replaced existing lighting to improve energy efficiency and visibility; and conducted a comprehensive assessment and labeling of electrical devices to ensure proper integration and future maintenance.

Phase 3: Surge Build-Out at Ochsner LSU Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA

This phase focused on converting existing pediatrics, PICU, NICU, post-partum, and OBGYN spaces into medical surge ICUs on the following floors:

Floor 4 (19,000 ft²): 28 ICUs
Floor 5 (16,400 ft²): 48 ICUs
Total Area: 35,400 ft²

The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing improvements in Phase 3 were designed to quickly convert pediatric areas into ICU’s:

Mechanical Scope: Balanced air terminals to optimize airflow and ensure proper ventilation.
Medical Gas Scope: Retrofitted existing oxygen, air, and vacuum system to have the code-required number of outlets.
Plumbing Scope: Installed new plumbing fixtures to support expanded healthcare operations.
Electrical Scope: Ensured that each headwall had code-required outlets and installed a new nurse call system.

Results

This extraordinary effort—executed with remarkable speed and precision—demonstrates YKH Consulting’s expertise in rapid healthcare infrastructure deployment, ensuring critical patient care facilities were operational when they were needed most.