Aligned around Inova Loudoun Hospital’s motto of “Stronger Together,” the project team, hospital staff and patients, donors, and members of the local community, came together to celebrate the latest milestone on the Inova Loudoun Hospital (ILH) Patient Tower project—the topping out of the steel penthouse which sits on top of the new seven-story concrete structure.

As one of the fastest growing counties in the country, the Loudoun County community has rallied behind the ILH Patient Tower project. Once complete, the new tower will bring additional services to the area, critical to maintaining the current level of care. “It’s not just the bricks and mortar, but the new services and new programs. [This facility] gives us the opportunity to really bring state-of-the-art technology to the community that people are accustomed to and used to,” said Deborah Addo, Inova Loudoun CEO.

The original hospital was built to hold 82 patients while the new tower will accommodate 228 new patient beds, keeping up with current demands for patient space and allowing space for future growth, as well. “It is about progress and investing in the community we serve. This will help ensure that Loudoun County residents have access to quality health care well into the future,” Ben Frank, chief of staff and chief operating office for Inova Health System added.

This project, scheduled for completion in 2020, is just one phase of ILH’s $300 million master plan for expansion of facilities and services. As the project reached this latest milestone, it was important to the project team to recognize all the individuals and organizations that have helped make this project a reality. A series of events were planned, including beam signings and celebrations, honoring the entire team, from the subcontractors in the field to the critical network of facilities within the Inova Loudoun family that each support the main campus.

The first event was the “topping out” of the seven-story concrete structure, which celebrated the efforts of more than 250 workers who got the team to the top, one week ahead of schedule.

Each of the workers left their mark by signing a concrete wall, followed by a team barbeque and a thank you message delivered by Addo and the DPR project team. Kimberly Shumaker, senior project manager for the ILH project, spoke about the importance of the team and working together towards a common goal. “Achieving this milestone is a testament to the level of teamwork exemplified by all,” Shumaker states. “I am so proud to be celebrating this moment with such a tremendous group of individuals.”

Prior to the official steel topping out, the final steel beams went on a roadshow to each of the Inova campuses that support the greater Loudoun community. Thanking members of the campuses for their support and uniting them under the “Stronger Together” belief, the roadshow, termed “breakfast with the beam,” allowed staff and donors to sign the beams and leave their mark. Some employees listed children born at the hospital, others thanked their parents and other family members, and others simply signed their name to be part of history. As Addo wrote on the beam, our work lives on!

“When you think about it, we have been providing care to this community for more than 100 years. Many of our employees began and ended their careers here, their kids were born here, their parents died here,” says Addo. “This is a special place for them, it’s not just a place of work, it really is home, it’s a community.”

The capstone event was the steel topping out, where the final beam was hoisted into place following remarks from Addo, Frank and Scott Hamberger, ILH Board Chair. “Today we’re building a legacy—a legacy of the future,” Frank told those who gathered in what will be the hospital’s lobby. “We’re building something we can all be proud of.”

Creating a patient-focused experience for the community that elevates the human spirit is the goal of the new patient tower, only accomplished by working together. In Addo’s words, “I succeed when we succeed.”