As hospitals and healthcare systems across the nation grapple with a nearly overwhelming complex of problems, solutions often seem to be elusive, expensive or non-existent. In South Florida, however, there is a company that can deliver customized solutions to certain of those problems, while simultaneously helping hospitals prepare for the future and place themselves at a considerable competitive advantage.
That company is Procacci Development Corporation, a full-service development, construction and management company that for over 30 years has been providing transformative solutions to the financial, insurance, retail and banking industries, and is now poised to help progressive hospitals take a bold leap forward to a new era of efficiency, continuity and productivity. Based in Boca Raton, Procacci Development constructs state-of-the-art office buildings with exceptional levels of hurricane resistance, safety and security, offering hospitals an option that can assure continuity of operations in the event of disasters of all types.
According to Debra Kremblas, executive vice-president for Procacci Development, “business continuity” is a national trend that is impacting many industries, including healthcare. “Business continuity means that your operations are not disrupted by disasters, because your critical operations are located in a secure location with back-up power and fuel. This is especially important in South Florida, where we are vulnerable to hurricanes. Any kind of unexpected event weather, fire, blackouts, terrorist attacks can bring businesses to a halt. The federal government now mandates business continuity for certain industries, so that operations can continue and people can be served, regardless of outside conditions. We construct office buildings that are hurricane resistant to 185 mph winds of a Category 5 hurricane, well above the Category 3 required by the state of Florida. No other office developer builds to this level.
“Our goal is to help hospitals achieve continuity, and also help them utilize their space more efficiently and profitably by transferring their administrative operations, data and equipment to a Class A office environment in one of our buildings. With the crowding that is common in hospitals, space is precious. Administrative functions such as payroll and accounting can be moved off site. The option we provide moves administrative staff and equipment to a strong, secure, independent setting, so that space within the hospital can be reclaimed for patient beds, new clinical programs or expansion of existing services, which can generate new sources of revenue and help the hospital advance and improve their services, making them more competitive.”
South Florida hospitals are unfortunately at exceptionally high risk for disruptions, and the hurricanes of recent years have resulted in strategic disaster planning efforts. Loss of power is one of the most critical issues that these efforts address without power, business operations cease and clinical operations are impeded, endangering patients. “Procacci buildings are constructed to withstand severe weather and to provide essential redundancy: backup power for the entire building, fuel sufficient to provide a business as usual environment for 14 days, utilities and communications,” says Kremblas. “That level of continuity and security reduces risk and protects revenue. We have space available now in Miami-Dade within Crossroads at Dolphin Center and Emerald View at Vista Center in West Palm Beach, plus permits for additional construction at both sites.”
More importantly, hospitals and other businesses that choose business continuity solutions through Procacci are a step ahead of those that rely on disaster planning. A disaster plan enables an organization to endure and recover from disaster, but with comprehensive business continuity planning, the impact of a disaster is greatly reduced.
Data centers, which traditionally are lockers, rooms or limited facilities that house computer information systems have previously been the only option for protection of critical mainframe computer equipment. But with the emergence of electronic medical records, data centers now store diagnostic imaging records, patient histories and other data that is essential to clinical operations. Protecting this equipment is more important than ever. Buildings constructed by Procacci safely and securely store the hospital servers that keep computers running, even in a disaster.
Philip J. Procacci, CEO of Procacci Development, has been a highly successful real estate developer in Florida for over three decades. In 2007, he constructed his first “hurricane-resistant” structure, launching a new phase for the company. “Weve had tremendous success with insurance companies and healthcare-related companies that lease office space in our buildings,” says Kremblas. “Our buildings are located in high visibility areas, easily accessible from the major highways. We also do general contracting and can build-to-suit in a new suite, or modify an existing space. We encourage hospitals, healthcare facilities and associated organizations to expand their capabilities for continuity, reclaim their valuable space for profitable uses and protect their personnel and information technology by engaging Procacci Development. With our help, hospitals can achieve the highest possible levels of continuity, productivity, growth and excellence in patient services and care.”
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