Project
Piedmont Atlanta Pharmacy
Details
Pharmacy & Waiting Room Renovation
Located centrally within a six-story facility, on the basement floor, this pharmacy dispenses drugs for the entire Piedmont Atlanta hospital. The renovation increased the size by 25% and the functionality of the pharmacy to serve the 16-story, 408 bed Marcus Tower addition to the hospital, and also create compliance with USP 800.
The pharmacy is a 24/7 operation; it never closes. Structor Group worked closely with the pharmacy staff and Piedmont hospital facility staff to coordinate construction activities and ensure the pharmacy’s work would continue unimpeded.
Compliance with USP 800 required complex renovation of the HVAC system to ensure fresh air exchanges and negative air pressures were maintained. With the hospital’s location in the center of the building, access to roof venting required working with multiple departments on floors above the pharmacy to install trunk lines and exhaust ducts. The project included working with the hospital’s cleanroom vendor to construct the Chemo, Ante, IV, and Haz rooms to meet the new requirements. Project scope included installing specialty pass through boxes and room display monitors to show the negative/positive pressure, humidity, and temp for each room.
A unique challenge to this project was the COVID -19 pandemic. The Structor Group team had to work on the roof of the building where all exhausts are located, including the ones from isolation units and ICU. Together with Piedmont Hospital, the team designed a set of protocols for workers on the roof which included full PPE and “no go” zones. The pandemic also increased the urgency to finish the new tower early – by four months – so the beds could be utilized for COVID-19 patients. In turn, the pharmacy schedule was accelerated to be complete when the tower was opened for use.
