Workers Compensation Benefits Rose in July

TUMWATER – Workers currently receiving Washington workers’ compensation wagereplacement or pension benefits will received a 5.018 percent cost-of-living increase effective July 1. State law requires that benefits be recalculated each year to reflect the change in the state’s average wage from the previous calendar year. Also increased was the amount the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) pays for a permanent partial disability

(PPD). That annual increase is based on the change in the Consumer Price Index. Effective Tuesday, PPD awards will rise 2.88 percent for workplace injuries incurred July 1 and beyond. PPD awards go to workers who have lost a body part or suffered a permanent, disabling injury. Under Washington’s workers’ compensation system, injured workers receive from 60 to 75 percent of their income, up to the legally set maximum, tax free, while they are off the job and recovering. The percentage of income is based on their marital status and number of dependents. For workers injured in 2007, the average monthly time-loss paid was about $1,749.

New ER planned on Whidbey Island

Bayview, Wash. – Whidbey General Hospital’s new Emergency Medical Services unit on South Whidbey Island will not only be highly visible but reflective of rural architecture similar to that found on nearby farms.

Cited on a 12-foot high knoll in Bayview above State Highway 525, the 4,500 sq ft structure will feature a “simple vocabulary of broad planes, prominent visibility, natural wood siding and a vernacular color scheme,” said Erik Goodfriend, project manager with Mahlum Architects.

The project, estimated at a cost of $1.2 million, is expected to bid in August. Completion is scheduled for spring 2009. Besides Mahlum, other firms on the project team include Coughlin Porter Lundeen, structural engineers; Coffman Engineers, mechanical and electrical; DOWL, civil, and Brumbaugh & Associates, landscaping.

Providence Spokane Starts Work on New Addition

Spokane – Providence Health & Services has begun construction of a 20-bed, two-level addition to the St. Joseph Care Center (SJCC) on the campus of Sacred Heart Medical Center. The new wing will house the Providence Transitional Care Unit, which will focus primarily on the rehabilitation of cardiac and orthopedic patients. The ground floor of the 18, 400 sq ft addition will house administrative offices, a conference room, a staff lounge and rehabilitation gymnasium with access to outdoors for use by both residents and outpatients. Sustainable features include natural daylighting, views to a new garden, sunscreens on the east and west sides of the building, rubber flooring and Energy Starrated equipment.

The exterior of the building will feature brick on the ground floor and cement panels that include rain screens behind the surface on the second floor. The addition will include a new entry for the total facility and a covered drop off area on Eighth Avenue near Cowley Street. In anticipation of possible future expansion to an additional three floors, a shaft will be built for a future second elevator, mechanical systems will be upsized and seismic bracing increased. The $8.4 million project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2009. The builder is Bouten Construction.

Professional Center Opens For New Patients

Mercer Island, Wash.— Express Construction has completed the Newcastle Professional Center and tenant improvements for its major tenant, Newcastle

Dentistry. The 24,000-sq ft building has three concrete and steel levels above ongrade parking. The Newcastle Professional Center was designed by Freiheit and Ho Architects, Inc., P.S. The building’s entry features a glass canopy and tower encasing an open, illuminated staircase. Team members for this project include: K.M. Maw Associates, Structural Engineers; Hugh G. Goldsmith & Associates, Inc., Civil Engineers; CDi Engineers, Mechanical Engineers; AbPb Consulting, LLC., Geotechnical Engineers; Lauchlin R. Bethume Associates, Landscaping; and Transpo Group, Transportation Engineers.