West LA EHRM Modernization

ESA South (ESA) is currently working a large and complex project for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at their West Los Angeles Medical Center location. Originally awarded to ESA in September of 2021, the project’s scope has grown over the last two years as new requirements have been added and unforeseen circumstances have necessitated various revisions and is now expected to be completed in April of 2025.

This project is part of a larger initiative throughout the country’s VA medical centers to modernize electronic health records infrastructure (EHRM). Once these upgrades are completed, the various VA medical centers nationwide will be interconnected and will interface directly with the Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, and participating community care providers. This will support streamlined care for our nation’s veterans.

ESA is self-performing the project management functions and collaborating with a team of nine subcontractors, with one super-subcontractor, LBI. The scope of work is complex; 2.3 million linear feet (LF) of CAT 6 cable; 50,000 LF of fiber; and 20,000 cable drops will be installed in the campus’ eighty-nine telecommunication rooms and 19 separate buildings throughout the sprawling 388-acre site. A main fiber distribution hub at one building will be eliminated and new fiber will originate from a different building utilizing a new duct bank and conduits.

The LA Metro (transit) System and their contractor, Tutor-Perini, had to be consulted as the path of a large fiber run with ESA’s EHRM project was designed to cross through a currently under construction tunnel for the Metro system located within the VA’s property. ESA, in conjunction and collaboration with LA Metro and other project collaborators, were able to overcome this challenge and worked to run parallel duct banks on the support beams of a bridge running over the metro site. This enabled both projects to continue with minimal delay.

As ESA prepares for the commencement of three similar projects awarded in 2023 (Columbia South Carolina; San Antonio; and Indianapolis), a look in on the progress of the Los Angeles site is instructive; it enables the company to utilize the experience to improve performance, efficiency, and accuracy on the soon-to-commence new projects.