UI Children’s Hospital experiencing labor shortage

IOWA CITY - The new $292 million University of Iowa Children's Hospital that has been under construction at the heart of the UI medical campus since 2012 is on track for a 2016 completion date 'at this time.”

But project officials for the past three to four months have struggled to find enough skilled workers for some of the hospital-specific aspects of the project - falling as many as 45 people short of where they'd like to be, said George Mejias, executive director of UI capital management.

Right now, on average, 180 workers a day are constructing the 14-floor, 480,000-square-foot Children's Hospital just west of the main UI Hospitals and Clinics campus and east of Kinnick Stadium. Mejias said they'd like to bump that number up to 225, but widespread construction in the corridor has limited the pool of workers - especially those trained in specific areas, like medical gas piping.

'We are experiencing some difficulty getting labor here,” Mejias said.

That wasn't the case during earlier stages of construction, including concrete and steel work, according to Mejias. But fitting out the building requires more focused work, and there aren't enough specialized workers.

'This is a very complex building,” he said. 'It's a machine.”

Right now, about 90 percent of the project's workers are Iowa-based, and Mejias said the hospital is consulting with Iowa trade groups to avoid seeking out-of-state crews. But if the shortage persists, officials might have to make concessions, according to Mejias.

'There is no push back on the end date at this time,” he said.

Members of the Board of Regents toured the hospital construction site Tuesday, along with UI President Sally Mason, UI Vice President for Medical Affairs Jean Robillard, and other officials.

Project officials pointed out patient-centered aspects of the facility, including its state-of-the-art rooms and layout, color- and icon-themed wayfinding designs, and several 'wow” features - like its ninth-floor unobstructed view of the field in Kinnick Stadium. Since starting construction, project heads have made several adjustments to the building plans based on national and international events. Lessons learned from the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Mo., for example, prompted them to increase safety measures and make sure the hospital could continue to function in severe weather.

They tested the strength of windows by blasting them with two-by-fours at 84 mph, Mejias said. And they created a secure 'inner core” where patients could be moved in the case of a tornado. Crews also added a 'protective environment” room that could handle an infectious disease patient - like one with the Ebola virus that ravaged parts of West African last year.

Officials said they appear to be on target for budget, but that will become clearer as the project progresses.

When completed, the new hospital will provide 134 beds - bringing the Children's Hospital total to 189, including 55 beds in the main hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. More than 600 faculty and staff members will be assigned to the new hospital, including about 220 new hires, said UI Children's Hospital Executive Director Scott Turner.