Diabetes disproportionately impacts Native Americans, their families and their communities. MHA Nation recognized the risks facing their members and decided to take action to combat the disease head on.
The result is the MHA Diabetes Education Center, a community-based health monitoring and instruction facility offering wellness, fitness, and nutritional mentoring services. Features include a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen with internet broadcast capabilities, fitness areas, indoor track, flexible meeting spaces, offices, community gardens, and walking paths.
Poor soils meant constructability of a planned basement was not feasible. Instead, 144 rammed aggregate geopiers were installed to reinforce the foundation and cost management efforts allowed for construction of a separate storage building.
COVID-19-related delays meant much of the project would be constructed during the heart of a brutal North Dakota winter. The building shell was erected and enclosed before plumbing and first-floor slabs were completed. The site superintendent creatively re-sequenced the schedule by first building the upper floor, allowing subcontractors to move the project forward, even as the ground floor soil was frozen solid. After the spring thaw, the lower level was excavated, slabbed and finishes installed.
“Consolidated Construction was phenomenal to work with on the Diabetes Education Center,” said Jared Eagle, MHA Tribal Nation Health Administrator. “From the beginning of the project working on the GMP process through construction and to the opening of the facility. As of note, this entire process was completed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic which created many different obstacles that Consolidated helped navigate. Specifically, the availability of materials, utilizing alternative products and materials, and consistent communication between the MHA Nation and our architect to complete the project in the designated timeframe and GMP. They have continued to stay in contact and have showed high levels of professionalism. They have done such a good job that we have continued our relationship with Consolidated Construction in having them build our Kidney Dialysis Unit building which is currently under construction.”
The project was completed on time, on budget, with zero recordable worker accidents, injuries, or OSHA violations.
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