PPG Global recently had the opportunity to talk with Patrick Casey, senior vice president, Facilities Construction & Engineering, Harris Health. We learned about his commitment to meaningful projects and his desire to do his part to improve the community.

Patrick, you have a very diverse portfolio of projects and background in hospitals, can you share with us what made these projects meaningful as your body of work?

“I'm a licensed architect originally from Ohio, where I started my career at the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. I consciously chose to go into healthcare construction. Because its mission driven, I felt that I could use my architectural skills to help people and do something that benefits people. (I want to leave) a legacy and those hospitals will still be saving lives beyond my time here.”

Patrick, given your project experience, what brought you to Harris Health, and specifically, the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital Campus Expansion project?

“Bringing my wife back home is what started it. It really was perfect timing for me and having worked in Galveston, I was familiar with the market in Houston. I had many relationships with architects, contractors that work in the Houston area, so that was really a plus.”

What has been some of your greatest challenges for leading large hospitals and clinics nationally?

“I think often the size of a project can be a challenge. My opportunities, like Parkland in Dallas, being a county hospital and a billion-dollar project along with other large-scale healthcare projects and experiences, gave me the unique skills needed for my time here at Harris Health. It is not just the construction skills I bring, but also the experience of building strong teams. I’m excited about being part of a project of this size and importance to not only Harris Health, but nationally and within the healthcare industry.”

What are your thoughts about the recent groundbreaking event for the project?

“Well, we are very happy to get started. It has been a long process. I have been here a little more than a year. We were already in design when I arrived. We ended up breaking up the design phase to be able to permit quickly so we could begin site work, foundation and structural shell of the building. This allowed us to fast track the project. We have broken ground and have begun installation of site infrastructure and building foundation work. The initial phase of the site work is complete, including clearing the site, putting up the fence and establishing measures to keep the site safe. It is important to have controlled access to the construction area. We also moved the parking out of the construction area by relocating staff and patient parking and then getting infrastructure in place like utility relocations. The entire site will be built on a storm detention system. We are putting huge storm detention tanks under the hospital and under the parking lot. That will be one of the first major things to go in. This will probably take about six to eight months. You really will not see actual physical vertical construction until after we complete the foundation for the hospital. Hopefully by then we'll have all the final building permits.”

What has been your innovative mission for ensuring diversity on the Harris Health projects?

“We fulfill the promises that Harris Health made to the community. I have the privilege of leading the core team that is actually going to execute the program and the work. In conjunction with LBJ leadership, community leaders and all the stakeholders that are involved ensuring diversity is a key priority. When I arrived at Harris Health, I met with Dr. Porsa. He sat down with me and said, you know, Parkland was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but we now get to do it again. It is not often you have such a privilege to get to do something like this, twice. Wow-what an honor!”

In closing, how do you define your legacy as an individual and a missionary leader?

“This is big. People do not realize how many people will be impacted by these projects. They are huge. Not only are you feeding those workers, but you are also feeding their families. They are buying materials, tools and all the equipment, everything that goes into it. This project is going to have major positive economic impacts on the community for legacies to come.”