Timeline for a new Parkland
May 2004 – The Dallas County Commissioners Court engages Health Management Associates to study Parkland’s future.
November 2004 – Health Management Associates submits a report, called “Long Range Planning and Policy Analysis for the Dallas County Hospital District,” to Commissioners Court recommending development of a master capital plan, including a replacement strategy for Parkland and appointment of a Blue Ribbon Panel to review and recommend its implementation.
March 2005 – Dallas County Commissioners Court establishes the Blue Ribbon Panel.
July 2006 – Parkland engages PricewaterhouseCoopers to develop a strategic plan, an operating model and a master facility plan.
June 2007 – After research and study, the Blue Ribbon Panel recommends a strategic and master facility plan to replace Parkland hospital.
July 2007 – Parkland Board of Managers approves the Blue Ribbon Panel’s recommendation to replace Parkland hospital.
August 2007 – Dallas County Commissioners Court approves the recommendation for replacement of Parkland hospital.
May 2008 – Facility planning begins for a new Parkland.
Aug. 12, 2008 – Dallas County Commissioners Court votes unanimously to place a bond election on the November ballot for consideration by Dallas County voters.
Nov. 4, 2008 – Dallas County voters overwhelmingly approve by 82 percent support of the construction of a new hospital.
April 22, 2009 – Parkland officials announce contracts awarded to the architect, construction manager and program controls manager.
May 2009 – Facility planning begins for the ambulatory care building on the new campus.
August 2009 – Parkland receives AAA bond ratings from both Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s Rating Service. Parkland issues $705 million in bonds, including $680 million in Build America Bonds.
Winter 2009 – Staff begin to relocate from buildings that will be removed to make way for new construction. Staff transition continues through Spring 2010.
Winter 2009 – Planning begins on the new administrative office building.
Winter 2009 – Mock hospital rooms are created to better assist architects and designers in creating the most efficient spaces possible for patient care.
September 2010 – Final schematic designs are approved by Parkland.
Summer 2010 – Demolition and grading of land begin to make way for new construction.
Oct. 28, 2010 – Groundbreaking marks the beginning of construction for the new hospital.
November 2010 – Construction of the new parking garage begins.
Nov. 8, 2010 – New employee parking lot opens.
Dec. 6, 2010 – New DART Green Line opens, running through the center of the new campus.
July 2011 – Construction of the central utility plant (CUP) begins.
Summer 2011 – Designs begin for outpatient and logistics buildings.
January 2012 – The new 740,000-square-foot Tower Garage opens.
Fall 2012 – Construction begins on outpatient and logistics buildings.
December 2012 – The central utility plant begins utility service to the new Parkland hospital campus.
April 2013 – The Women and Infants' Specialty Health (WISH) clinic structure is completed. The size of the current WISH clinic, which occupies 30,000 square feet, restricted patient volumes to about 44,000 for the past several years due to lack of space. The new WISH clinic will be in excess of 100,000 square feet, giving Parkland staff greater capacity to treat more infants and mothers.
June 2013 – Helipads on top of the new building are finished. The helipads are substantially larger than those at the current hospital, designed to provide more room for caregivers who are waiting on air ambulances to land. In addition, the helipads have a built-in de-icing system.
July 2013 – The new 740,000-square-foot Tower Garage is awarded the LEED® Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which sets voluntary standards for buildings. The garage uses LED lighting and a 32kW photovoltaic solar panel system.
August 2013 – The outside of the new hospital building is fully enclosed, with most future projects taking place inside the hospital walls as crews work to finish out the interior. The blue construction cranes working on the outside of the building are taken down.
October 2013 – The structure of the chapel at new Parkland is completed and the roof and glass are installed. To support worship flexibility, the space can be arranged with the altar and service elements in several orientations.
October 2013 – The foundation is poured for the new logistics building. This 225,000-square-foot facility will house many of the support services for the hospital. It will be the entry point for all hospital supplies and include a truck docking station and a connecting tunnel system to new Parkland.
November 2013 – Construction of patient rooms for the Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) is finished in the acute care tower of the new Parkland hospital. The new Parkland BICU includes 12 intensive care and 18 acute care beds; the current center is comprised of nine intensive care and 17 acute care beds.
April 2014 – Construction of the sky bridge that will connect the new building to the current Parkland is now underway. The bridge will connect the second floor of the new Parkland acute care hospital with the third floor of UT Southwestern's Sprague building.
July 2014 – Parkland signage was placed atop the new hospital, marking the building as more than a construction project but as the place of care and healing that it will become. The sign spans more than 72 feet long and the “P” stands more than 15 feet tall.
Fall 2014 – Construction of the new Parkland hospital is complete.
September 2014 – Construction of the 231,419 square-foot logistics building located adjacent to the new Parkland hospital is complete. The building will house the Dallas County Hospital District Police Department, Materials Receiving and Distribution (MRD), Information Technology Support as well as a backup space for IT equipment, the trash and linen system, Environmental Services, clinical engineering, medical equipment storage and general storage areas.
October 2014 – Parkland received full ownership of the new building on Oct. 31. New Parkland moved from a construction project to an operational one as the new building along with the central utility plant and logistics building all received final certificates of occupancy in late October.
March 30, 2015 – The new Parkland hospital is officially dedicated.
June 22, 2015 –The new Parkland hospital is awarded the LEED® Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which sets voluntary standards for buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council says LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was built to “achieve high performance” in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Aug. 20, 2015 – The new Parkland hospital officially opened its doors to patients. The transition of patients to the new facility occurred over a two-day period, beginning on Thursday, Aug. 20, and concluding Saturday, Aug. 21.