HEALTHCARE SIGNAGE PROJECTS

 Services Provided
     Design & Planning
     Fabrication
     Installation
     Ongoing Maintenance & Service Since 2000 

 Products
    AluTek™ &
    Dimensional Graphics (Exterior & Interior)
    Elevate® (Interior Only)

 Background Information
Founded in 1949, Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center (GCRMC) is a general hospital serving the Alamogordo, New Mexico region and is the first hospital in the United States shared by active-duty military personnel (via the nearby Holloman Air Force Base) and civilians.

APCO initially implemented a complete exterior and interior signage program at GCRMC in 2000 when the hospital moved to its new location, and we have been servicing the ongoing signage needs for the hospital ever since.

 Project Overview
In 2019, GCRMC embarked upon a major expansion and facilities renovation endeavor, anchored by the construction of a 63,000 sq/ft, state-of-the-art Medical Pavilion set to open in 2021.

This project not only consisted of the design, fabrication and installation of an interior signage system and building identification for the Medical Pavilion, but also a completely new exterior sign & wayfinding program for the entire 65-acre campus, replacing the APCO signs that had been installed twenty years earlier. While the old signs had certainly served their purpose, a fresh, more modern look was in order!

The APCO Project Team collaborated closely with GCRMC on both aspects of the project throughout the entire process, discussing design priorities, the evolving wayfinding needs at the hospital, budgets and timelines.

APCO’s award-winning, frameless Elevate system was selected for the interior signage and incorporated a direct-print decorative pattern and finishes to coordinate with the interiors of the beautiful new facility.

A combination of APCO’s aluminum AluTek and fiberglass PolySign systems was selected for the exterior signs, featuring more vibrant colors and a greater focus on branding than the previous program designed in 2000. The new exterior program also incorporates two dynamic LED boards enabling the hospital to display hospital news, health messages, welcome notices and more.

As Covid-19 entered the picture during the height of the project, there were plenty of challenges on both sides of the equation, from the planning all the way through installation. In the end however, the Medical Pavilion opened successfully, and installation of the new exterior sign program was completed in the summer of 2021. And, with the bulk of all signs provided being modular, the hospital will be able to update, maintain and expand the systems to accommodate future growth and change.