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Caring for Those Who Care for Us

Center for Advanced Pediatrics at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Terracon’s Work for Children’s Hospitals Benefits Communities

Healthcare is more than the building you’re in – it’s the relationship between provider and patient and the critical environment in which they interact. Terracon employees live in the communities we serve, so we are professionally and personally invested in the success of our healthcare projects.

As the manager of the San Antonio office, Jesse Aguilar and the office team take a personal approach to serving potential healthcare clients. They believe in connecting with clients by thinking about the ultimate beneficiaries of the care they provide – the patients.

“Before we take the project on, we think about what value we are going to bring, the mission of the project, and how can we best deliver the benefit of our services. The people who mean the most to us are sometimes going to be the ones receiving care,” said Aguilar.

About eight years ago, Aguilar’s then 15-year-old son Joshua started getting sick. His pediatrician was unable to find the cause of symptoms including weight loss, diminished appetite, and difficulty swallowing fluids. Becoming increasingly concerned, Aguilar and his family took Joshua to the emergency room at University Health System (UHS) San Antonio Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Joshua was ultimately diagnosed with achalasia, considered rare in adolescents. While at UHS, he underwent successful surgery and is doing well as an adult today.

“We are passionate about taking care of our healthcare clients so they can do what they do best – focus on patient care,” said Laura Register, P.E., national director for Terracon’s healthcare business sector. “We’re proud to serve these clients nationally throughout their built environment life cycle, so patient care is not interrupted.”

Terracon’s team of healthcare professionals demonstrated their expertise in service for the Children’s Hospital North expansion in Broomfield, Colorado, a Denver suburb. Work on the project began in 2018, with Terracon providing materials testing and inspection services for a 200,000 square-foot expansion to the existing Children’s Hospital campus. The expansion increased the size of the existing facility by four times, enabling new services to be offered including infusion therapy, outpatient behavioral health services, and pharmacy and lab series.

The expansion of the Children’s Hospital North campus brings essential care closer to home for people in the community, eliminating the need for local families to travel to another facility, according to Tom Madrid, materials department manager for Terracon’s Denver office.

Elaine Motisi, Terracon administrative manager and a long-time Denver resident, felt a personal connection to the Children’s Hospital project. Just over three years ago, her then 14-year-old daughter had a complex surgery on her leg after a basketball injury.

Samantha Motisi

“The surgeon and care team at Children’s Hospital were amazing,” Motisi said. “They are specialists who want to do a great job for our children, so we want to put special care into the work we do for them.”

In another part of the country, Terracon has completed major projects for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), including geotechnical and materials testing services for the Center for Advanced Pediatrics at the North Druid Hills campus

The work we do for CHOA is important and personal. Several Atlanta-area employees have shared their stories of appreciation below.

Rooted in the communities where we live and work, Terracon’s experienced teams have successfully completed hundreds of projects for children’s healthcare facilities nationwide. For more information about Terracon’s services for healthcare, visit terracon.com/healthcare.

“I took my oldest daughter to CHOA at age 18, when she was on multiple medications and needed a diagnosis. Recently, my granddaughter was successfully treated there. I know many people in the area who’ve used Atlanta’s Children’s Hospital, and they all feel it’s the best place they could be.” — Daphne Lambert, materials construction inspector

“My son was born with a congenital heart defect in January 2020 and underwent major open-heart surgery when he was just three weeks old. The care team displayed a tremendous amount of professionalism and attention to make sure that our minds were at ease throughout every step of the way. We are beyond grateful for CHOA-Egleston and their commitment to patient and family needs.” — Knox Strickland, senior environmental staff scientist

“In April 1997, at the age of 18, I was involved in a severe auto accident. I was on life support for one month with multiple internal and external injuries, and fractures, I was comatose for two months. After a very long hospital stay and rehabilitation that continues to this day, I recovered. I went from first being given a few hours to live, then being diagnosed that I would be in a vegetative state, to ultimately going to college. I thank God for allowing me to survive and everyone at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Scottish Rite from the bottom of my heart for all they have done for me. With their determination to help me become stronger and never giving up on me, I am able to live my life. They are truly a full blessing!” — Sarah Gaudette, CAD operator