Care First, Jails Last. Modular Construction Makes a Way for Mental Health.

LA County builds a transitional care village to help restore people to their communities.

SYLMAR, Calif., April 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Restorative Care Village at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center has opened as a bold local solution to the cycle of homelessness, hospitalization, and jail associated with mental health challenges.

Built by Abbott Construction, the village features eight buildings over a sprawling, shaded campus. Services include urgent care, post-acute care, wellness therapy, and transitional residential housing. It's a one-stop shop for those in crisis to get immediate help and embark on a path of long-term healing.

This project features many firsts: one of the first Restorative Care Villages to be completed by Los Angeles County; one of the largest modular projects in Southern California to date; the first County public modular project to achieve LEED Gold; led by two women Abbott project managers; featuring 132 craned pre-fab units, with a herculean 1,765 total inspections.

Working on an aging and active hospital campus during the first surge of COVID-19 was challenging. "We had to divide and conquer," says Project Manager Teresa Fait, who led the residential construction. "Of all the projects I've worked on, this one was the greatest example of teamwork."

The project was fully completed on budget and 10 days ahead of schedule. Even better, several buildings were turned over multiple weeks ahead of schedule, helping the County get a head start on providing services.

"The LA housing crisis is an issue that's important to me," reflects Project Manager Jen Sliwa, also a volunteer with Union Station Homelessness Services. Sliwa led the construction of the village's urgent care and wellness buildings. "I'm honored to feel like I was part of the solution in a significant way."

Photo
TheSaltyShutters.com 

About Abbott Construction
Founded in 1983, Abbott Construction is a West Coast construction group known for superior management and field team, best-in-class standards and craftsmanship. Abbott's expertise runs deep in pre-construction, project planning, and the professional execution of construction in a variety of market sectors including healthcare, retail, office, non-profit, mixed-use, education, and seismic improvements. Abbott is a member of STO Building Group, and is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Tacoma and Los Angeles. Learn more at abbottconstruction.com.

SOURCE Abbott Construction