Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center

Project Strategy

The Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) has been serving downtown Los Angeles for over a century. Though its establishment was not finalized until 1887, the history of California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) begins years before, through the work of its founder, Dr. Walter Lindley. Prior to founding what was considered one of the best hospitals on the west coast, Dr. Lindley maintained an accomplished career as he ventured his philanthropic and political interests; the skills of which he’d apply into his humanitarian work helping those in need, in the years to follow. Much like Dr. Lindley, who provided medical care to the less fortunate at no cost, California Hospital has made a lasting impact on the community of Los Angeles and its neighboring cities.

CHMC became the largest and best-equipped physician-owned hospital west of Chicago and later became the first fireproof hospital in Los Angeles. Due to California Hospital Seismic Safety Law, it was essential that Dignity Health had to remove acute care services from the existing building which was constructed in 1990. Offering over a dozen services across six departments, CHMC facilitates patient care through an optimized healthcare environment.

When the project was awarded to Universal Metro, our team worked to mirror the customer’s standards and provide flooring installation that would be ideal for a top-ranked hospital such as this. This new design build addition is comprised of a 4-story and 145,000 SF acute care building containing a new emergency department, NICU, labor and delivery, postpartum and antepartum beds, medical surgery bedrooms, a ground level mechanical yard and areas of the existing buildings. The new emergency department relocated both the ambulance and patient drop-off locations on a very compact, urban site. In addition, a new 8 story exit stair was added to the existing Tibbitts building.

Prior to commencing the flooring installation, it was necessary to prep the floor that included pre-existing slants and cracks; so, the labor team applied Ardex K-15 Premium Self-Leveling Underlayment to create a smooth base for the sheet vinyl. To fulfill the high demand of material, Universal Metro collaborated with Starnet partner Tarkett, who carries sheet vinyl perfect for healthcare environments. The scope of this project called for over 3,000 square yards (or 27,000 square feet) of resilient flooring and almost 500 cartons of wall base. Throughout the hospital, Tarkett’s iQ Optima and Granit Safet.T resilient flooring were installed for their medically conscious features. The iQ Optima sheet vinyl protects against scratches, stains, and chemicals while the Granit Safe.T rolls provide a stable grip for bare feet, reducing the risk of slips and falls. Working on a design-driven project, it was of the utmost importance to meet the hospital’s standards, incorporating high quality flooring that also protects the patients from alternate risks of being in a heavily trafficked hospital.

This flooring project totaled a Contract Amount of $1,219,270.