JLL is expanding the services it provides to 35 small-format hospitals and emergency departments owned by Emerus, the real estate services firm announced Dec. 11. In addition to continuing integrated facilities management, lease administration, property management and energy and sustainability services, it will provide project and development services for select markets, JLL said. Covering a total of 1 million square feet, the healthcare facilities are in Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee and Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso, Texas.
In addition to its responsibility for all mechanical, electrical and plumbing maintenance, JLL will oversee all janitorial work, landscaping and security. It will provide on-site support and construction management “with additional executive oversight and leadership engagement” through its PDS work, it said.
“The model we are developing in this first program has the potential to be tapped nationally anywhere Emerus may need PDS support,” said Dan Squiers, senior vice president and West Division healthcare lead for PDS.
Alison Flynn Gaffney, president of JLL’s healthcare division, emphasized the need for facilities management experts to oversee healthcare services like room safety, equipment functionality, utilities and security systems. “We are part of the care team that is responsible for delivering safe and effective patient care. We’re not clinicians. However, we are the subject-matter experts behind the scenes,” she said in an interview. Gaffney cited an example of how a malfunctioning call bell in a patient’s room could impact immediate care. “The patient is everything we do,” she said. “We may not touch the patient directly, but we touch the patient through experience.”
