Mortenson completes $505 Million Flagship Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside

Mortenson has reached completion of Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside, a $505 million regional tertiary specialty women and children’s hospital, adult hospital and multi-specialty clinic in Rockford, marking the end of the largest construction project in the city’s history. The new facility, which houses the only state-designated children’s hospital in northern Illinois and a Regional Perinatal Center with 52-bed level III (highest level) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, opened to patients on January 5.

“With this regional state-of-the-art specialty hospital and physician clinic, Mercyhealth has made a major new investment in the Rockford region and in the health of the local community,” says Andy Stapleton, general manager of Mortenson’s Chicago office. “Along with its other health services, Mercyhealth’s new facility makes it possible for area residents to receive the best hospital care no matter where they live.”  

Mortenson prioritized hiring locally and women and minority representation on the job site. In fact, more than 90% of craft workers lived within 49 miles of the project while most of the major subcontractors, including Absolute Fire, Kelso-Burnett, Carpetland USA and Mechanical Inc., are headquartered or have offices in the area.

Using Lean construction techniques such as 5S, prefabrication and innovative technology, Mortenson built the 563,000-square-foot hospital and physician clinic in just 28 months. The AECOM-designed building, with a 6-story, 194-bed adult and children’s hospital and 4-story physician’s clinic, was built using structural steel, curtainwall, masonry and composite metal panels that were attached to a cold-formed metal framing system prefabricated by Mortenson to enhance quality and speed of installation.

Mortenson used drones to assist in the planning and management of the complex site logistics and project sequencing. This allowed for efficient coordination and communication resulting in faster, more efficient installation. The project resources peaked at 550 craftworkers onsite daily and more than 1,500 craft workers overall, and reached more than 1.5 million manhours in total.

With another technology called Matterport, Mortenson scanned the interior systems before installing drywall, then stitched together exact layouts and locations with Google Earth overlays to support facility maintenance.

“Mortenson’s healthcare experience and innovation have ensured construction of a beautiful, world-class hospital and clinic in record time,” said Joanna Benning, vice president of construction and facilities for Mercyhealth. “They successfully delivered high quality without sacrificing attention to detail or speed to market. We are excited to welcome the community to this wonderful facility, with expanded treatment and diagnostic options designed for an improved patient experience, such as our hybrid operating suites with advanced imaging technology.”

Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside is located on 70 acres at the intersection of Illinois Interstate 90 and East Riverside Boulevard. The campus includes 263 acres of land for further development. Area residents will receive convenient health care at both of Mercyhealth’s Rockford hospital and medical campuses–at Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic– Rockton.

“Both campuses are staffed by highly trained physicians, nurses and other providers who offer leading-edge care for adults and children,” said Javon R. Bea, Mercyhealth President & CEO. “Both campuses will provide life-saving, compassionate care when every minute counts. And at both campuses, you will be treated like a member of our family.”