The recent completion of a 13,000 square foot Outpatient Center featuring 18 new exam rooms designed especially for children with special healthcare needs at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago is yet another example of how Autodesk AutoCAD Architecture 2017 online Customer Delight and having a good, long-standing relationship with customers is crucial to securing future projects.

Under the supervision of Block Electric Project Manager Jerry Hughes and General Foreman Mike Benninger, the La Rabida Ambulatory Care Addition was completed in four phases to prevent the disruption of existing hospital services. The Outpatient Center will help reduce health care costs by decreasing the number of readmissions and keeping patients out of the hospital by providing top-quality care in an outpatient setting. Block Electric’s relationship with La Rabida dates back to 1999 when Phil Casto completed the renovation of the second floor North wing patient rooms.

“We should all be proud of our mission statement and remember that every job we work on should never be our last job, but the start of a long relationship with a valuable customer,” Hughes said. In 2004 Todd Giusto renovated the La Rabida Lobby and Emergency Room. Benninger completed the renovation of the second floor South wing patient rooms in 2009, followed by a renovation of the stair towers in 2010. “The successful completion of these project led to us getting the Ambulatory Care Building that Mike Benninger just finished,” Hughes said. “Ron Smith is the director of construction at thehospital and our relationship with him and our consistent quality of work has kept us in good standing with him for the past 17 years.”

La Rabida Children’s Hospital is a one-of-akind Chicago area children’s hospital specializing in the treatment of chronic illnesses, developmental disabilities, abuse and trauma. In addition to the new exam rooms, which feature larger rooms, wider entrances and more specialty areas such as a procedure room and a nutrition area, Block Electric was responsible for adding new 1200 amp service, extending the existing fire alarm system, new lighting and distribution systems, a new pharmacy and new labs.

La Rabida Children’s Hospital was born in 1896 out of the generosity of the government of Spain and a group of dedicated volunteers whose mission of providing care to children with lifelong medical conditions regardless of their family’s ability to pay has been unwavering throughout the years. La Rabida annually serves approximately 9,000 children who require primary and specialty care to address complex and challenging medical conditions.

The La Rabida project is yet another reflection of Block Electric’s commitment to the environment. Designers have applied for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognition. Highlights from the LEED design include an overall 18 percent reduction in energy use, a 40 percent reduction in HVAC fan power and a 57 percent reduction in space cooling energy consumption. Additionally, over 75 percent of the construction waste is being recycled and landscaping does not require irrigati