Mercy Hospital Joplin

In 2011, a violent tornado devastated the city of Joplin, Missouri. In its path of destruction was the original Sisters of Mercy hospital that was established in 1896. To meet the needs of the community, Sisters of Mercy needed to rebuild a new hospital in its place quickly. With the aggressive construction timeline in mind, US Engineering quickly mobilized to manage and execute this complex project. Completing many pieces of the construction process concurrently that are normally spread out throughout the construction schedule required close collaboration and key teaming. Because of our close partnership, US Engineering added Henderson Engineers to the team to help meet major milestones and design challenges.

In order to produce a set of permittable plumbing documents for the replacement hospital quickly, Henderson’s medical gas staff relocated to US Engineering’s office to work side by side with their plumbing detailers. This partnership was key. US Engineering’s detailers were able to focus in on every element of the design while at the same time utilizing Henderson’s medical gas expertise to oversee how that design would align with all the systems throughout the building. This effort eliminated the need for additional design checks and any lags in passing information back and forth. Our staff also served as a resource regarding code, design techniques, and sizing methods to the detailing team.

This team effort helped to dramatically decrease the project schedule and produce a set of permittable plumbing documents in 10 weeks, a process that would normally take at least three times that long. The hospital was up and running ahead of schedule – serving a rebuilding community.