Dec 2021
BJC Offers Flu Vaccines to Construction Workers
December 2021 - Continuing a tradition of offering influenza vaccinations on construction projects, BJC HealthCare’s infection prevention specialist Loie Couch vaccinated 15 workers on the Campus Renewal Project at Barnes-Jewish Hospital Dec. 1. That was more than one-third of the workforce in this early stage of the project. Most of those vaccinated were with McCarthy Building Companies, the Campus Renewal design-build lead, and Sachs Electric.
“Sometimes getting a flu vaccination is a matter of opportunity,” says Couch. “We bring that opportunity to our construction partners.”
Joe Lewandowski, McCarthy’s project director on the Campus Renewal Project, appreciates BJC’s efforts. “I hadn’t yet gotten my flu vaccination, so when BJC came to me and said this is a service they will offer every year on the project, I jumped at the chance to get the vaccine myself and to get the word out to our workers during our morning stretch and safety minute.”
McCarthy mobilized on the project site Nov. 1 and had its project trailers up and running mid-month. The vaccine clinic was set up in a large conference room in one of the trailers.
The current phase of BJC’s Campus Renewal Project entails construction of a 16-story inpatient tower at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Planned for completion third quarter 2025 are 224 private inpatient rooms, 56 private intensive care unit (ICU) rooms, cafeteria and dietary program, as well as significant improvements along Barnes-Jewish Plaza to simplify and enhance arrival. Two floors of surgery prep and recovery and two floors of imaging will open mid-2026.