UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMHC) is the largest health care system in Central and Western Massachusetts, and the clinical partner of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The health system includes UMass Memorial Medical Center and four community hospitals: Clinton Hospital, HealthAlliance Hospital, Marlborough Hospital, and Wing Memorial Hospital. UMass is the only Level 1 Trauma Center for adults and children in Central Massachusetts and the region’s only Level III NICU. The health system includes home health and hospice programs, behavioral health programs, community-based physician practices, MRI centers, an acute rehabilitation hospital, and an international bone marrow registry.
Historically, UMMHC has progressively grown both in health care services and the real estate needed to support its medical service needs. Engineered Systems featured UMMHC’s ophthalmology project and the HVAC challenges associated with this project back in the July 2010 issue with an article titled, “Health Care Renovations: a Chilling Process.” At the start of the design phase, I received a call from Gary Valcourt, senior director of capital planning and management for Umass Memorial Medical Center, who was seeking our third-party opinion as to the direction of the air conditioning primary cooling design for this LEED® interior renovation.