P1 Prepares for Work on $53M Olathe Mental Wellness Campus
Could the “ears” on a Monopoly game piece pose a threat to patients in a mental health facility?
That is just one interesting question addressed during the planning of a new mental health campus in Olathe, KS.
The ground was officially broken June 29 on the new facility, designed to reduce strain on the Kansas system. The campus is a partnership of Camber Mental Health (part of KVC Health Systems) and Children’s Mercy, and will feature 72 inpatient beds — 24 for adults and 48 for children in crisis.
P1 Construction Project Manager Nick Lawless says P1 was selected as a design build partner for this project and will own the engineer’s contract for the HVAC and plumbing system.
“P1’s scope will be HVAC, plumbing, and controls for this project,” Nick said. “We will install all of the HVAC equipment, ductwork, hydronic piping, fixtures, and have CSC as a subcontractor for the controls.”
Nick adds that a facility of this nature has some interesting construction aspects, such as the use of anti-ligature components.
“Specialty items like this may protect a patient from self harm. There are a lot of interesting facets to understand with these items and the way they are built to protect the patients," Nick explained.
Specialty fasteners are used so patients can’t gain access to components that could be used for self harm.
“It was discovered in the past that the fasteners previously utilized could be removed by use of the ‘dog’ from a Monopoly game, using the ears to unscrew the fasteners,” Nick said.
Senior Project Manager Eric Affolter credits the capabilities of P1 preconstruction and estimating in helping secure the project.
“The project was awarded to P1 based on our pre-construction efforts and past experience with JE Dunn,” Eric said.
“P1’s estimating team not only established a budget at 50 percent construction document completion, but was able to work with the design team to maintain that number, even at 100 percent construction document completion.”
The center, projected to open in late 2024, will help get individuals into treatment sooner and reduce the pressure on medical hospitals and law enforcement agencies that are often on the front line of care.
The campus will sit southwest of 153rd Street and OMC Parkway near Olathe Medical Center, and offer six private courtyards, walking paths, and dining and activity spaces.
In her remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (pictured, left) emphasized the need for more psychiatric beds to reduce strain on Kansas health care systems.
