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New Haven, CT – Shepley Bulfinch announced that the Adams Neurosciences Center at Yale New Haven Health’ s Saint Raphael Campus is nearing substantial completion.
Designed as part of a long-term master plan in collaboration with architecture and design firm Shepley Bulfinch, the
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505,000sf neuroscience tower provides comprehensive advanced neurological care, featuring 202 acuity-adaptable patient rooms, dedicated operating rooms, imaging capabilities including MR / OR, and restorative neurotherapies. As the project reaches substantial completion, the Adams Neurosciences Center enables |
closer alignment of clinical services across Yale New Haven Health campuses, creating a more integrated experience that co-locates diagnostics, treatment, and specialized neurosciences programs.
“ We’ re so excited to see the new Adams Neurosciences Center( ANC) welcome patients later this year,” said
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Jason B. Costello, principal at Shepley Bulfinch.“ The design of this facility will help YNHH physicians and staff in their mission to better understand and treat complex neurological disorders, establishing the ANC as a center of excellence for neurological care.” |
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By Paul Bedard
For years, I sat on the owner’ s side of healthcare construction. As director of capital projects at Brown Health, I translated between clinicians and builders, defended budgets, maintained compliance with The Joint Commission and state Department of Health requirements, and ensured projects served patients— not just satisfied a punch list.
Now I sit on the general contractor side. Same industry, same projects— different chair. The perspective shift has been clarifying. Some assumptions I had as an owner were right, some were unfair, and some realities I didn’ t fully appreciate until now.
What Owners Actually Value
Certainty beats the lowest number. When I was reporting to finance committees, a defensible GMP from a builder who had truly done the homework was worth
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far more than the lowest bid. As a GC, I now understand why low numbers are often wrong: missing scope, unrealistic assumptions, or subcontractor pricing that won’ t hold.
The clinical end user is the real client, not the project manager or facilities director. The nurses, surgeons, infection prevention teams, and staff are the people the building must ultimately serve. Contractors who engaged clinicians directly and respectfully consistently delivered better outcomes.
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The owner’ s risk profile extends far beyond construction. Reputational risk, patient safety, physician retention, regulatory compliance, and operational continuity all sit on the owner’ s side of the table. Builders who understood that became strategic partners. The ones who focused only on scope and schedule remained vendors.
Where Owners and GCs Disconnect
Owners hate surprises more than bad news. A difficult conversation early, paired with options and recommendations, was
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always easier to manage than a“ green” status report followed weeks later by a sixfigure change order. Transparency builds trust. Opacity destroys it.
Change orders are a trust tax. Healthcare capital competes directly with patient-facing priorities. Every unexpected cost impacts something else. The best contractors explained not just the number, but the cause, alternatives considered, and operational impact.
ILSM and ICRA are not paperwork— they are the project. I watched firms lose future opportunities over a single containment failure or unsealed penetration. In healthcare, those mistakes put patients at risk and damage relationships that took years to build.
Occupied healthcare construction is an entirely different discipline. Phasing, after-hours work, vibration monitoring, dust containment, and coordination with clinical operations are central to project success. Treating an occupied renovation like a standard renovation is one of the fastest ways to lose both money and owner confidence.
Critical Factors in Getting It Right
Preconstruction is where projects are
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