Community Health Network and Summit Construction Co. were awarded the 2008 Outstanding Project Award from the Metropolitan Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety (MICCS) for their collaboration on the Community Hospital North expansion.

“This award demonstrates that our culture of safety goes beyond our core business of patient care to touch all that we do,” says Mark Hayden, senior project manager. “Winning sends a signal through the construction industry that we care and that we pay attention.”

According to the MICCS Web site, “The 2008 outstanding project team was able to manage a coordination effort that not only allowed a safe working environment for craftspeople, but also a safe working environment for the occupants of the existing structures connected to this project.”

The construction team at Community Hospital North successfully managed several challenges, including the need to prevent the development of infections and minimize noise levels for the patients in the existing hospital while meeting an aggressive construction deadline.

To create a safe environment for construction workers, the team took an innovative approach by using new technology. The Community North expansion project was the first of its type in the country to use a Magic Arm crane, which lifts construction materials onto each floor safely and efficiently without the use of scaffolding or platforms.

This is the 12th year the MICCS has presented the Outstanding Project Award and the second time a hospital has been recognized. The Indiana Heart Hospital was the winning project in 2004.