An architect, a construction manager, an engineer, a nurse and a process improvement coordinator discussed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration on the $494 million Sanford Fargo Medical Center project during a panel symposium for North Dakota State University students today.
Each of the panelists has a major role in the construction underway in Fargo, North Dakota, and one of them is in charge of the entire project. They spoke to NDSU students in architecture, construction management, engineering and nursing about how they are working together to meet Sanford Health’s objectives for the building, its patients and the health professionals who will care for them.
“This project is a tremendous illustration of how experts in very different but complementary areas work together to maximize a facility’s functionality,” said NDSU College of Engineering Dean Gary Smith. “There aren’t many learning opportunities like this in our students’ own backyard, so we want to make sure we use it to complement what they’re learning in their classrooms every day.”
Joanna Slominski, the Mortenson construction executive who is responsible for construction of the new facility, said a project of this scale is highly complex and any alteration necessitates adjustments in other areas.
“So much of our business is about people, not just about building. A lot of people have the talent to build. It’s about getting them to work together to come up with a final product,” she said. “We keep going back to Sanford’s guiding principles – patient first and dedication to health and healing – to make sure what we are doing and the decisions we make as a team are really about that.”
Don Marty, the Sanford Health vice president on the new medical center construction project, said, “The opportunity to bring people together from such diverse professional backgrounds to provide input in the early stages, and throughout construction, is a dream come true in my 33 years in this business. What we learn from each other influences design decisions every day.”
Marty is a professional engineer and the owner’s executive on the project. He oversees construction with a focus on staying within budget and on schedule. Marty graduated from NDSU in 1982 with a master’s in community and regional planning.
Nancy Rossland, director of advancement in the NDSU College of Engineering, moderated the discussion. In addition to Marty and Slominski, who is a 2004 NDSU construction engineering graduate, the panel included:
- Kate Gausman, Director of Facilities and Planning, Sanford Health
- Todd Medd, Principal Architect and Fargo Market Leader, JLG Architects
- Clint Rossland, Process Improvement Coordinator, Sanford Health
Gausman has been a registered nurse at Sanford for 35 years. She serves as the link between the patients, medical staff and construction design team for the new medical center.
Medd, a licensed architect and member of the American Institute of Architects, has been with JLG for five years and has been a principal for the past two years. JLG is the local architect and landscape architect, and the company has been collaborating with HKS Architects, Dallas, which is an international leader in healthcare design.
Clint Rossland is a process improvement coordinator at Sanford Health. He helps physicians and staff prepare for new workspace and ensures the new medical center building design works in concert with staff workflows. He is a 2003 NDSU graduate with a bachelor’s in industrial engineering and management.
Sanford Health is an integrated health system headquartered in the Dakotas. It is the largest, rural, not-for-profit health care system in the nation with 43 hospitals and 243 clinics in nine states and three countries. With 27,000 employees, including 1,400 physicians in more than 80 specialty areas of medicine, Sanford Health is the largest employer in the Dakotas.
Nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford have allowed for several initiatives, including global children's clinics, genomic medicine and specialized centers researching cures for type 1 diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases. For more information, visit sanfordhealth.org.
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