As the future of John Dempsey Hospital is debated, the University of Connecticut Health Center is getting ready to sink $45 to $50 million into “needed” upgrades to its main research facility.
UConn Health Center houses six medical-related entities, including the university’s School of Medicine and John Dempsey Hospital, employing about 5,000 in Farmington.
A recent in-depth study conducted by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering recommended that the hospital be closed and the center focus primarily on its research capabilities, but the renovation of the 518,145-square-foot research laboratory is independent of the ongoing discussion about the hospital’s fate.
The planned renovation of the center, which was built in the late-1960s, has had only minor upgrades since its construction.
UConn Health Center issued a request for proposal in search of planning and design consultants to give life to the project, which is part of the 1995 UConn 2000 legislation meant to enhance the infrastructure of the university and its systems.
“Until [that legislation] was enacted, we didn’t have the funds to do any upgrades,” said Tom Trutter, associate vice president for campus planning at UCHC.
There are seven specific projects named in the program, which gave the University of Connecticut 20 years and $2.3 billion.
“We got $300 million to do some improvements,” Trutter said.
The deadline for proposals was April 16. Once UCHC selects a consultant, which is expected to take about three months, planning and design for the project would then begin in the summer and be completed in 2014, Trutter said.
“This project will provide for a renovation and upgrade of the existing infrastructure for the laboratories, offices and support areas to meet current and future education and research needs,” said Trutter. “The labs will support the trend towards higher utilization of electronic technology within the labs and provide updated space to support high-level research for the university.”
A primary focus of the project, Trutter added, will be to replace or refurbish the original heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems in the building. Electrical and lighting systems will also be reviewed to determine their capacity to support the increased electrical loads associated with medical research.
The project doesn’t call for any structural changes, Trutter said. But if the budget allows, officials will look at reconfiguring space in the curved area of the main research building to better suit research needs.
Trutter said he thinks the project will make UConn Health Center more attractive to potential researchers.
Upgrading the infrastructure, providing the right systems and potentially reconfiguring lab space “would be a benefit in attracting researchers,” he said.
“It’s an upgrade that’s been needed,” he added. “It should be a pretty straightforward process from here on.”
Although the new project aims to advance the health center’s academic and research capabilities, it was conceived well in advance of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering study, said UConn Health Center spokesperson Chris DeFrancesco, who noted that the renovations will address a longstanding need within the health center.
In March, the academy released a study of the center’s facilities and operations, recommending that the health center capitalize on its research capabilities, rather than revamping John Dempsey Hospital.
The study also recommended that John Dempsey Hospital “should be renovated to support the center’s research and academic mission,” CASE said in a release.
Any new structures or facilities that come out of the academy study, DeFrancesco said, would be completely separate and would not impact the upgrades set to be implemented over the next several years.
