Los Angeles Hospital Construction Costs Delay Completion

Unforeseen site conditions and hidden problems have added to Los Angeles Hospital construction costs of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, increasing the medical construction price tag to millions more than previously expected. Even with funding from the LA board of supervisors, the much-anticipated South Los Angeles hospital may not receive patients until late 2014 or early 2015, according to LA county officials.

LA Hospital hospital construction delayed

Since its closure due to loss of federal funding back in 2007, the South Los Angeles hospital construction site has been under renovation. However, “unforeseen problems” have impeded construction of the medical inpatient tower, increasing the initial budget by over $50 million. By its completion in October 31 2013, the expected deadline, total construction costs for the new Los Angeles county hospital may reach $284.4 million.

Unforeseen complications in renovations

Extra funding from the LA supervisors will pay for unexpected complications that often surface during renovation of a medical facility such as the Los Angeles hospital, including additional bracing and retrofitting for earthquake code compliance, tearing down and rebuilding unsafe walls and superstructure, and rebuilding rusted and deteriorated plumbing in the sewer system. Medical contractors supervising the Los Angeles hospital construction also hope that the extra funding will help them meet their October deadline by paying for overtime and weekend help. The decision to renovate, rather than rebuild the LA hospital was a strategic move, as it may have cut overall construction costs in half. Despite the unanticipated problems that have surfaced during renovation, hiring a medical construction contractor to demolish and build a new Los Angeles hospital may have cost $400 million. “It’s still cheaper than it would have been if we had torn the building down and started from scratch,” admits David Sommers, spokesman for the LA county chief executive’s office. “When we were designing the project four years ago, the first three floors of the building were still occupied, so there were some unforeseen things that could not have been anticipated…” Read more about medical construction renovating or building anew

LA patients without major hospital

Since 2007, citizens of the Los Angeles area have had no emergency room, trauma center, or inpatient services, due to the hospital’s closing after failing approval by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For now, former patients of the Los Angeles Martin Luther King Jr. hospital must travel to downtown Los Angeles, Bellflower, Inglewood, or Long Beach for medical care, including emergency and trauma services.\

Construction still on for Los Angeles hospital

Professionals involved with the Los Angeles hospital construction remain optimistic, though. Last month was the fourth anniversary of the approval for the new LA hospital renovation, and despite setbacks and need for more funding, the construction project is 90% in completion. Once opened to the public, the newly constructed Los Angeles hospital will provide general patient care, emergency services, labor and delivery, radiology, lab and blood bank services, health education and outreach services for the LA area. Also read: Medical Construction: Pros and Cons of Remodeling Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee/freedigitalphotos