Construction Updates: Mount Vernon Surgery Center

Construction began the week of May 30, 2022. Fencing went up to define the perimeter of the work area in the vicinity of South 12^th and 13^th Streets.

May 2023 - Work continues at the site of Skagit Regional Health – Mount Vernon Surgery Center just northwest of Skagit Valley Hospital. The project remains on schedule for construction completion in August 2023 and first patients in December 2023.

Installation of the exterior finishes are well underway, the building will be clad with stone, siding, windows, metal paneling and an exterior insulation finishing system.

Less visible to the passerby is the amazing amount of work going on in the interior. Interior painting, flooring and wall protection is going in throughout the first and second floors. Headwalls have also been installed in the pre-op and post-op bays on the first floor of the building.

Single large diffusers were received and installed in the operating rooms in mid-April. These units will push clean, filtered air into the work area to protect the patient from potential airborne contaminants and are also integrated with UV clean lights.

Building elevators arrived on site and will be installed this month, followed by a permitting process so that they will be ready for use in August.

A reminder about some of the basics about the building:

• 60,000 square foot, three-story outpatient surgery center and medical office building
• Patient-focused design
• First floor: four outpatient operating rooms; on procedure room; three Endoscopy procedure rooms; sterile processing
• Second floor: Gastroenterology; Ear, Nose and Throat; Imaging (two X-ray units); staff support
• Third floor: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine; Interventional Pain Medicine; Spine Surgery

February 2023 - Lots of progress has been made at the site of Skagit Regional Health – Mount Vernon Surgery Center just northwest of Skagit Valley Hospital. The project remains on schedule for construction completion in August 2023 and first patients in December 2023.

Exterior cladding (the first layers of the covering for the building), framing and installation of the Gypsum Wallboard are all underway.

All three floors of the building will be heated over the next several months using propane heaters. The heat stays on 24/7 and allows for optimum interior temperature and humidity levels for installation of drywall, adhesives and paint. The heaters will remain in place until curing is complete and/or outside temperatures increase to the same level.

Operational planning continues with many key stakeholder groups throughout the organization as we prepare for the first patients at the MVSC in December 2023. 

November 2022 - The concrete has been flowing to get all three floors ready!

Skagit Regional Health – Mount Vernon Surgery Center continues to take shape at the site just northwest of Skagit Valley Hospital. Most recently, the first floor concrete pour took place on Nov. 15, the first in a series of significant concrete deliveries for the three slabs for the three-story, 60,000 square-foot building.

Equipment and furnishing orders are taking place; external signage designs created; and operational teams will begin holding regular meetings in the near future.

October 2022 - Mount Vernon Surgery Center structure coming together

Skagit Regional Health – Mount Vernon Surgery Center is also taking shape at the site just northwest of Skagit Valley Hospital. On September 29, 255 yards of concrete – delivered by an estimated 26 trucks – was poured at the location for the building’s slab on grade. Check out the video of the dramatic pour here.

The building’s foundations include 75 tons of rebar. A few days after the big concrete pour, a crane was delivered and assembled on the site to begin the process of lifting the steel beams into place.

As of Oct. 12, the steel frame for three floors is in place for more than half of the 60,000-square-foot building. The steel is fabricated by a local company, B&B Fabricators in Arlington.

A traditional “topping out” ceremony with placement of the final piece of steel is scheduled for October 21.

August 2022 - Site work continues for surgery center

The buildings have all been removed and site work is underway in earnest at the site of the new Mount Vernon Surgery Center, northwest of Skagit Valley Hospital on 13^th Street. Here are a few construction highlights:

Construction site with a view: The sparkling white peak of Mount Baker and the blue sky of summer create a nice backdrop for the construction site.

Dump trucks: If you have been in the vicinity of 13^th Street and Division lately, you have likely seen a continuous movement of dump trucks in and out. All of the soil removed from the site has gone to a location called Big Lake Gravel Pit.

Going underground: Recent work at the site will eventually be covered up by the parking lot. Crews are installing interlocking cells for a detention system that will collect, hold and slowly release water from runoff into the city’s system.

Buried treasure: The first buried treasure was found in late July: A beautiful blue bottle of Milk of Magnesia, with the date imprinted in the glass of August 2, 1906. That’s nearly 116 years old!

Foundations: The team reports that the soils on-site consist mainly of glacial till, which has excellent bearing capacity for the project. So far, all of the new building foundations will be poured over the existing soils, rather than having to over-excavate and bring in structural fill. 

Parking: The satellite parking lot, located on the west side of 12^th Street, was paved in mid-July and the contractors’ work trailers are now located there. It took 200 tons of asphalt to pave this small parking lot. Upon project completion, this will serve as extra parking for the new facility, in addition to the main lots on the east side of the center.

Rebar arriving: The site will receive rebar (reinforcing steel that becomes a part of the foundation for the building) the first week in August. In total, the foundations will include 75 tons of rebar. 

On the job: As of July 21, there were 20 workers on the site: 17 men and three women.   

June 2022 - Groundbreaking Ceremony 
On the afternoon of June 30, more than 70 SRH board members, providers, staff and community members gathered to watch the groundbreaking celebration for the new 60,000-square-foot outpatient surgery center and medical office building to be located just northwest of Skagit Valley Hospital. Festivities included remarks from SRH leaders, board members, providers and SVH Partners, LLC.

The three-story building, which has a target opening date of December 2023, will be home to a wide range of surgical specialties. The patient-focused design will feature four operating rooms, three endoscopy suites and one endoscopy procedure room, diagnostic imaging and several specialty clinics, including Gastroenterology; Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT); and Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

“This new Mount Vernon Surgery Center will help us better meet the needs of our surgical patients with a facility and environment that is designed specifically for outpatient procedures,” said Brian Ivie, Chief Executive Officer for Skagit Regional Health. “We are excited to begin this project and have a surgery center that improves access to safe, quality care.”

Specialists in orthopedics, urology, general surgery, podiatry, plastic surgery, ENT, gynecology, orthopedic spine surgery, gastroenterology and other surgical specialties will provide services in the new surgery center.

The addition of the Mount Vernon Surgery Center will relieve pressure on the six operating rooms at Skagit Valley Hospital, where the focus will remain with patients who will need to receive hospital care following surgery and emergent procedures.

The new building will offer a convenient location, easy access, a patient pick-up area and ample parking.

June 2022 - Demolition is underway at the future site of the Mount Vernon Surgery Center
Perimeter fencing around the site of the future Mount Vernon Surgery Center was installed in late May and demolition of the existing buildings began the week of June 14. The project will officially kick off with a groundbreaking ceremony at the end of the month. The three-story outpatient surgery center and medical office building will feature a patient-focused design and will be home to a variety of surgical specialties. The project is due to be completed by December 2023.