ISH Clarion Hospital Renovations

Located in Clarion, IA

Iowa Specialty Hospital in Clarion – located in north-central Iowa – is one of the few remaining hospitals in the state that offer labor and delivery services. The birthing center had only five rooms, which were small and outdated, and the hospital wanted to add more rooms and update the existing ones. With a building addition not possible, several steps had to be taken to expand the labor and delivery area: an adjacent OB/GYN clinic would be moved to an outpatient clinic space, with that clinic moving into administrative office space, and the admin offices in turn would be moved into vacant apartments in the senior housing center.

This project was phased and totaled more than 16,000 square feet of remodeling and a 1,200 square foot mechanical penthouse addition above the birth center. After remodeling the apartments for the admin offices, the former admin area was gutted and rebuilt into the new general outpatient clinic and infusion area. The former clinic space was remodeled into a new OB/GYN office, whose former space was remodeled into an additional three new birthing rooms. All of the original rooms were given upgrades with new finishes and lighting, and one room was enlarged to make it more usable. A nurses’ station was also added to the space and the corridor finishes updated.

As the location went from clinic to hospital space, additional fire-proofing of the walls and building materials was necessary. A mechanical penthouse was added on the roof above the birthing center to house a new HVAC unit. Due to the age of the hospital, it was too tight to add ductwork to the ceiling, so some of the new ductwork runs across this penthouse as well.

In addition to multiple groups getting more updated workspaces, the hospital is now able to offer eight labor and delivery rooms to accommodate its more than 600 births each year. Multiple disciplines came together to ensure a smooth construction process, including civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering; architectural; plumbing; and fire protection services. hospital.