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By: Tim Huffman
I have been working with DIRTT walls for over 5 years now and this summer has easily been my busiest ever since working with OstermanCron. So, it’s only fitting that my first blog topic shares why this all really is worth it to me.
Over the last five years, the DIRTT side of the business covers all kinds of projects, from schools, car dealerships, corporate, banking, and the list goes on and on. This summer however, it has been all about healthcare for me.
For the last year and a half, I have been engrossed in two large healthcare projects at The Jewish Hospital and Mercy Anderson Hospital. This fall we will have completed 193 patient rooms in total, which includes Bone Marrow Transplant, Intensive Care Units, and other specialty units.
Working in the healthcare environment can be more than challenging for many reasons. Before we could even begin the bidding process with these locations, we had to clear many obstacles such as: infectious control, harsh cleaning methods, sound control, and positive/negative pressure requirements just to name a few. If you can meet all of these requirements, you still have to meet the design that the architects and client team have been working on for the last 5 years.
After hearing all of this, you’re probably wondering why I enjoy doing what I do. Here’s why it’s worth it.
During the project duration, sometimes you are so focused on the task at hand that you forget about what will be happening here in the next 6 months to a year and even 15 years from now. Although I was only one person out of the hundreds that worked on these projects, the environments are going to be such a big part of a lot of people’s lives. This staff has an incredible space to work in everyday and it allows them to provide the best care to heal patients. Patients will come here to fight to get better and family members will come to encourage and help on that journey. Unfortunately, this is also the last place patients will get to see loved ones before they pass on.
None of this hit me until the ribbon cutting at the first hospital this summer. All the extra-long days and the stress of working large projects are worth it when you realize you were part of something greater than yourself. I am very fortunate to be able to be a part of it.
(FYI- I would like to thank my wife Anna, who also did more than her share at home during this time with our new son Grant and 3-year-old daughter Mae during this time.)
