Change is the only constant in healthcare, and that truth extends beyond clinical advances and patient care models. It shapes the very buildings where care happens. The most successful healthcare spaces are designed to adapt to the needs of both today and the future.
Adolfson & Peterson Construction’s (AP) approach focuses on anticipating change rather than responding to it. AP brings decades of healthcare construction expertise to projects, helping providers create adaptable, future-ready facilities that support patients, staff, and communities.
The healthcare landscape is being transformed by outstanding demographic and population shifts. Population growth in Arizona, for example, continues to exceed national averages, with Maricopa County consistently ranked among the fastest-growing counties in the country. Nationally, one in five Americans will reach age 65 or older by 2030, creating tremendous pressure on healthcare infrastructure.
These shifts, combined with rapid technological advances, evolving regulations, and heightened expectations for safety and infection control, are forcing hospitals and health systems to rethink facility planning. The question is not whether change will come. It is whether facilities will be ready for it.
In fast-growing regions such as the Southwest, AP puts its expertise to work by delivering tailored facilities that address urgent demands like behavioral health while ensuring flexibility to support future expansion. Surging behavioral health demand and community growth have driven projects like Agave Ridge Behavioral Hospital, while medical systems upgrades for Banner Health, Acadia Healthcare, and Oceans Behavioral Health reflect the need for existing facilities to adapt and expand. Each project teaches something new about balancing immediate needs with future-ready design.
The full cost of failing to plan for the future goes well beyond the price tag. Poor planning can lead to costly retrofits, licensing delays, operational disruptions, and, ultimately, staff and patient dissatisfaction. The difference between proactive and reactive facility planning becomes clear with facilities designed for stability rather than adaptability.
To mitigate this, AP’s approach to preconstruction emphasizes proactive collaboration from the very beginning. The value lies in leveraging established relationships with design teams, regulatory authorities, and trade partners to anticipate challenges and smooth the path for permitting, compliance, and licensure. AP’s process begins at early conception and continues through goal alignment with the design team, ongoing budget updates, and full lifecycle cost evaluations, giving clients greater control over cost, schedule, and constructability.
With project performance receiving greater attention, owners are navigating new complexities that require careful management of budgets and relationships—from securing permits and procuring long-lead items to coordinating inspections and meeting complex compliance requirements. These external pressures often add unexpected delays and costs, leading 87% of owners to report increased oversight of their projects. Preconstruction helps anticipate and mitigate these challenges, reducing change orders and delays while improving overall outcomes.
One example of AP proactively addressing potential concerns before they arise is the recent completion of a project for Banner Health’s MD Anderson Cancer Center. With the understanding that this scope took place in an occupied, fully operational cancer treatment center, AP prioritized infection control preplanning. AP also partnered with the facility’s preferred fire alarm and wall protection trade partners, who were already familiar with the intricacies of the building and expectations of the client. All these efforts ensured patients and staff remained uninterrupted and safe for the duration of construction, while also delivering an on-time completion with zero recorded incidents.
Agave Ridge Behavioral Hospital was another example of proactive collaboration. Preconstruction allowed AP to anticipate supply chain challenges and identify long lead items. AP’s commitment to meeting the urgent needs of behavioral health in the community drove preplanning decisions. In collaboration with suppliers, trade partners, and Agave’s team, early procurement was the key to completing this project ahead of schedule.
In healthcare, flexibility is essential for both today’s continuity and tomorrow’s adaptability. AP constructs shell space, modular layouts, and technology-ready infrastructure that allow facilities to evolve with changing needs, while also sequencing work in ways that minimize disruption to ongoing operations. This dual approach ensures healthcare providers can continue delivering uninterrupted care today, while future-proofing their facilities for the innovations of tomorrow.
In a healthcare environment, infection control and operational continuity are top priorities. Every project begins with an infection control risk assessment (ICRA). Through specialized protocols, temporary barriers, and precise air pressure management, AP’s ICRA-certified team ensures patients and staff remain safe while care continues without disruption.
AP is not only addressing the needs of healthcare facilities but also advancing emerging priorities such as telehealth capabilities, evolving patient security requirements, and enhanced staff safety measures. They recognize that the healthcare landscape is constantly changing, and they anticipate these shifts by implementing forward-thinking solutions. In behavioral health specifically, staff safety has become a growing priority.
At AP’s most recently completed behavioral health facility project, Agave Ridge Behavioral Hospital, they incorporated a comprehensive life safety protection system to safeguard residents and staff. A key fob system was installed to control the flow of traffic, and, as an added state-of-the-art precaution, AP integrated the ROAR Panic Button System. This tool uses Bluetooth with long-term evolution (LTE) backup to connect to a smart beacon network that runs independently of the facility’s IT infrastructure. Designed to enhance reliability while protecting sensitive data, the system is implemented throughout the building to reduce response times and risks to staff and patient safety.
Adaptability and flexibility were critical for the success of the Oasis Behavioral Health project. AP managed the multi-floor construction in a fully operational 130-bed hospital, where uninterrupted patient care was non-negotiable. By carefully sequencing work and collaborating closely with hospital leadership, AP minimized disruptions and maintained safe, functional spaces for staff and patients throughout construction. This approach demonstrates how AP enables healthcare facilities to continue serving their communities while completing necessary expansions and upgrades—even in the most complex environments.
Healthcare construction is constantly evolving, and success depends on staying actively engaged with emerging requirements rather than simply reacting to them.
AP supports healthcare projects with ASHE-certified staff who stay engaged in local code development and permitting discussions, helping ensure alignment with evolving requirements. Complementing that expertise, AP’s enhanced VDC/BIM processes and constructability reviews allow potential issues to be identified early in design, when adjustments are more manageable and cost-effective. Together, these efforts create clearer paths through permitting, compliance, and licensure while reducing risk for clients.
Recent regulatory shifts illustrate why this matters. Updates to Joint Commission life safety requirements, new infection control standards, and evolving accessibility guidelines all affect project planning and execution. By working with construction partners who anticipate and track these changes, healthcare organizations can prevent costly disruptions and minimize unexpected expenses. Early engagement with regulatory authorities, design teams, and facility stakeholders ensures projects move forward with confidence rather than uncertainty.
AP’s proactive approach becomes even more critical when considering the broader challenge facing healthcare systems today. In healthcare, the risk of just “meeting today’s needs” is missing tomorrow’s opportunity. Healthcare systems that invest in adaptable infrastructure find themselves better positioned to implement new technologies and services as they emerge, while those with rigid facility constraints face costly retrofits and operational disruptions.
The next era of healthcare demands facilities that are more than functional. They must be adaptable, efficient, and built to serve communities for generations to come. This requires partners who understand both the complexity of healthcare construction today and the importance of long-term thinking. Partners who navigate regulatory requirements while maintaining focus on patient care, operational efficiency, and community impact.
AP’s decades of healthcare construction experience guide every decision, ensuring facilities grow with patients’ needs and serve as strengths instead of constraints as healthcare continues to evolve.
Ready to start your future-focused conversation? Contact AP for a consultation, planning session, or project review. Let’s shape the future together.
Cody Jensen serves as a Project Executive at AP, bringing a strong field background and over a decade of hands-on experience to his leadership role. Having contributed to AP projects across Wyoming, Colorado, and now Arizona, Cody has developed a well-rounded perspective and a deep understanding of the company’s commitment to quality and client service.
Cody specializes in healthcare construction, with experience delivering behavioral health centers, tenant improvements, and ground-up healthcare facilities. He began his career as a carpenter and spent the majority of his time at AP as a superintendent, where he built a reputation for delivering complex projects with precision and efficiency.
