Pediatric office expansion benefits from guidance start-to-finish
Upgrading medical facility draws on design and technical skills
Atlanta, Georgia
A successful medical practice can soon be bursting at the seams, creating a challenging pull for a practitioner faced with managing a practice and running a construction site. That’s a position Mary Hammock, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and owner of Healthy Steps Pediatrics, wanted to avoid. And that’s where Samir Doshi, founder and CEO of SamT Construction, loves to step in. “This is my wheelhouse,” says Samir, who led the Marietta practice’s expansion from start to finish.
As a nurse practitioner, Mary falls in a special class of caregivers offering the personal attention patients expect from a nurse and the medical training and skills of a physician. As a CPNP, she can operate her own practice and work in concert with a board-certified physician while taking charge of children’s care as effectively as a primary-care physician might. In 2011 she opened Healthy Steps Pediatrics in one unit of a five-unit building in Marietta. That practice soon expanded to include one pediatrician, four nurse practitioners, a lactation consultant, office manager and five support staff. With success, however, came the inevitable wear-and-tear on the building. “With heavy use it was falling into disrepair,” says Mary. “The doors were loose, the floors needed fixing. We needed more space, but I wanted quality materials that would last. We wanted to be proud of the space we worked in and how we presented ourselves to the public. Clearly, something had to be done.”
The first “something” was a conversation with Samir, recommended to Mary by the person who replaced flooring in her home. Recommendations were important because she didn’t even know any contractors, she said. She made inquiries with three general contractors. One never answered, another took four weeks to submit a bid. “Not only did Samir get right back to me, his bid was lower than the other,” Mary said. “But cost wasn’t my only criteria. I wanted someone who cared about the quality of the work. Samir was filled with questions and listened carefully to what I said I needed.”
“I wanted someone who cared about the quality of the work. Samir was filled with questions and listened carefully to what I said I needed.”
What Mary needed was a better understanding of the options for expansion. Healthy Step Pediatrics was in Suite 200. Suites 100 and 300 were already occupied, but Suites 400 and 500 were available, but Mary was told by others that breaking through the wall and joining the two would be far too expensive. That’s where Samir made his first contribution. General contractors don’t usually help clients plan their projects, but as a trained architect and engineer, Samir’s professional tool kit includes design and planning skills. He spent several days working on a preliminary cost study of combining two adjoining suites and demonstrating how the project was feasible. Mary was delighted: “He arrived at a better design at an affordable price, a big boost for the practice.”
That solved Mary’s design problem, but ahead was the need to arrange financing. Again, Samir made a difference. To get financing Mary needed accurate documentation of the costs, so Samir helped put together a detailed renovation budget. He quickly and accurately provided references and all other documentation required by the bank to complete Mary’s loan package. “What a great feeling that was when the bank accepted the proposal, enabling us to move forward with the project,” says Mary.
“Samir has a base knowledge of all the trades. What’s more, he’s had architectural training and extensive design experience,”
For Samir, upgrading the pediatric practice was more than a routine job. It was a way to help support an important medical asset in the community, a contribution that is increasingly important to him. It also fit the pattern of his building relationships with clients. Some contractors go from job to job and are never called back. Samir has a remarkable record for repeat business. What really satisfied him was the ability to use all his talents. “Sure, I can build with the best of them, but what really draws out my enthusiasm and energy is the opportunity to have an influence in the initial design, to use my architectural training to improve the plans, and to help people past the formidable hurdles of financing,” says Samir. “That to me is a satisfying project.”
Mary wanted the practice to do more than upgrade and refresh the physical look and feel of the facilities. The design had to be more than decoration. It had significant health and safety requirements. When the practice was quartered in a single unit, there was no practical way to separate the sick and the well — those coming in for a current illness or those making visits for routine checkups. This was especially important as COVID-19 began spreading. Mary describes it this way: “We couldn’t just expand what we had. The architecture and design had to be flexible to prevent mingling and provide a safe environment for as long as a patient was in the building. For example, hallways had to be wider to maintain distancing. Restrooms had to meet the highest standards of hygiene.”
Samir had to consider how the facility would function, starting at the front door. Separate waiting rooms were constructed to accommodate the different kinds of patients. Consultation rooms had to maintain the highest medical standards. Because the practice was growing, a higher volume of traffic had to be accommodated. Although the building was structurally sound, it had to be upgraded to exceed conventional standards.
“Samir is a detail-oriented guy,” says Mike Cotti, who served as Samir’s right hand on the project. “He’s knowledgeable about all phases of construction. There’s not much that gets by him.” Mike served as the on-site manager of the Healthy Steps Pediatrics project, making sure subcontractors and materials arrived when expected and work was completed as planned. Samir and Mike had worked together on several projects, including another medical office, so the two could speak to clients with the same voice. Fundamental to Samir’s management style is the daily attention to details that each project required. “What I do for Samir is help him multiple his time,” Mike says.
The planning phase, begun in November 2019, was finished by February 2020, when construction began. The new Healthy Steps Pediatrics facility opened in August.
Mary says she’d turn to Samir again, and recommend him to other medical professionals looking to expand or upgrade. “First of all, he seemed to really care about me and my practice,” she says. “His broad experience in design, engineering and project financing was invaluable in getting us to the finish line. He was professional and very pleasant to work with. If we ever expand again, Samir will be my first call.”
Samir Notes: This was the first COVID-19 safe jobsite for us but we did not let that affect the quality of our construction or its timeline.