Phased – RMH Group

The RMH Group provided engineering services for a phased hospital renovation program that expanded medical-surgical capacity and modernized patient care environments within an active healthcare facility. The project converted underutilized administrative, rehabilitation, observation, and support spaces into new inpatient care areas, including medical-surgical rooms, observation units, telemetry facilities, nursing support spaces, and patient-focused activity and dining areas.

The team designed infrastructure upgrades to support the addition of new patient rooms, including HVAC modifications, plumbing and medical gas distribution, electrical system enhancements, nurse call integration, and low-voltage technology systems. A major component of the project transformed the existing executive suite into a new 8-bed Medical-Surgical Unit and 14-bed Observation Unit with shared clinical support spaces and expanded patient-care infrastructure. Additional renovations converted eight observation rooms into medical-surgical rooms, reconfigured rehabilitation spaces to support inpatient care, and added private patient rooms on multiple floors.

Throughout the project, RMH leveraged existing building systems wherever feasible while extending critical healthcare infrastructure to meet current codes, patient safety requirements, and hospital operational standards. The phased approach enabled the hospital to increase bed capacity, improve patient care environments, and enhance clinical flexibility while minimizing disruption to ongoing operations.

The expanded Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Francis Medical Center offers an exceptional level of care for infants born before 32 weeks of gestation, those weighing less than 3.3 pounds, or critically ill babies who require breathing assistance. The expanded NICU includes several enhancements:

Increased capacity from 30 to 46 beds
Two couplet rooms, allowing mothers and their babies to stay together while receiving expert, round-the-clock care. At the time, the St. Francis Medical Center’s NICU was the only one in Colorado and only the fourth in the nation to feature couplet rooms.
Additional space for caring for multiples, such as twins and triplets
Advanced room lighting designed to support and stimulate infants’ circadian rhythms
A family sleeping area with privacy partitions and fully private restrooms
An outdoor patio and wellness garden
A NICU family lounge for families of patients to connect with others in similar situations
A dedicated breast milk storage room
A family pre-discharge room to help parents prepare for returning home

The NICU expansion was the first phase of a multi-part project comprising 168,000 square feet and costing $102 million. This project also included a new emergency department, operating rooms, antepartum rooms, and space for future growth. RMH is serving as the project’s mechanical and electrical engineer, as well as the lighting designer.

To enhance minimally invasive surgeries for patients, Penrose Hospital constructed a new interventional hybrid operating room on the second floor. This facility features advanced medical imaging devices that allow surgeons to visualize and access smaller areas of the body, making procedures less traumatic than traditional surgical methods. As the mechanical and electrical engineer on the project, RMH designed the HVAC, plumbing, normal and emergency power, and lighting systems to support the new operating room, control room, and various supporting devices, including new diagnostic equipment, medical equipment booms, and surgical systems integration equipment.

The RMH Group Has Joined SALAS O'Brein