May 15, 2019 — Tucked away in a modern space on the first floor of 7920 Frost Street, the Facilities Planning and Development team is a small but mighty group that oversees project planning and management for 1.5 million square feet of property across the main campus and satellite locations.

I knew I was in the right place when I spotted the miniature bulldozer parked outside the door! Inside I met the team and, with coffee and breakfast burrito in hand, we gathered at a central table to discuss all of the services they provide. This team handles strategic, space and transition planning; project management and OSHPD coordination; real estate and property management; floor plans; furniture requests and selection; and moves.

This is a busy group, completing 27 projects totaling $128 million over the last three years. Some of these key projects include the Education and Office Building, Rady Children’s Medical Plaza in Murrieta, the Medical Office Building remodel and the South Bay urgent care, just to name a few.

There are a number of exciting projects currently underway. Plans are being finalized for a behavioral health emergency department with construction expected to begin in about three months. This project is so important because it will allow children and adolescents who are experiencing mental health concerns to receive specialized care in a space that is completely separate from the regular emergency department.

Also on the horizon, an advanced CT scanner will be installed in Radiology and the MRI center in the ACP basement will be expanded to include a state-of-the-art interventional cardiac MRI.

You may also be familiar with Facilities for their ongoing role in completing moves – 125 of them in just one year! For every move, it’s much more complicated than moving boxes and furniture. Sometimes wiring needs to be changed, walls moved, carpet replaced, ducting re-routed and more. Often, IT, POM, Biomed, Supply Chain and other departments are involved. There are also some stringent regulations to follow established by OSHPD (California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) that require plans and permits before any modifications to a space can begin.

The Facilities team also handles real estate and property management – both as a tenant and a landlord. This includes lease negotiation, marketing of vacant space, lease administration and overseeing third party property management firms.

The modern space in which this team works is actually a test lab for the next generation of office space at Rady Children’s. Here, there are no cubicles and team members work at open desks with small partitions. A “hotel” space is available when privacy is needed for phone calls or meetings. If these new office concepts get the thumbs up, you might see them coming to your space in the future.

I wrapped up the visit with my passport stamped and my own personal hard hat! Thanks for the informative visit and keep up the great work.