Presentation should align with this description and must demonstrate all four learning objectives Session D05: Adapting to Increased Acute Care Patient Demand at UNC Health Description: How do you manage a project that undergoes major program changes during construction? On the UNC Health North Carolina Surgical Hospital project, growing patient demand necessitated design alterations to accommodate regional growth—after the project was already underway. When the design changes were made, the entire structural steel package had already been fabricated, and the majority of MEP coordination was complete. This presentation will explore the strategic, collaborative approach the project team employed to creatively repurpose materials and navigate logistics challenges while designing and building for the hospital’s future patient needs. Close coordination with UNC Health and engineering and supply chain partners—as well as design collaboration with healthcare providers—empowered the project team to adapt to meet evolving healthcare demands without sacrificing delivery reliability. Learning Objectives: “Ensure your presentation aligns with the description and demonstrates all four learning objectives.” 1. Implement future-proofing strategies to enable healthcare facilities to accommodate changing program needs and adapt to growing patient demand. 2. Create a framework for effective collaboration that enables greater flexibility and adaptability in navigating project challenges. 3. Integrate owner and clinician perspectives in project design to most effectively meet programming requirements and serve patient needs. 4. Enhance safety on healthcare projects through collaboratively developed safety procedures that protect the health and wellness of project teams, hospital staff and patients.