The Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service has a requirement for Pine Ridge Hospital Humidification and AHU 5 Replacement.

The Pine Ridge Hospital, located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, exists in a climatic region where humidity ranges widely over the course of the year. With recent studies showing disease spread correlations in relation to relative humidity in air, it is important to ensure the relative humidity of a hospital does not fall low during the dry winter months. ASHRAE 170 codes also dictate humidity requirements for various room types throughout hospitals. Pine Ridge does not meet these humidity requirements during the dry cold winter season. To combat this issue in the past, unit humidifiers were installed to humidify small portions or rooms of the hospital. These units tend to fail quickly due to scaling and are hard to service as they are usually installed above the ceiling. Additionally, having many units throughout the hospital increases the workload and strain on maintenance staff. It is the decision of the Pine Ridge Hospital to maintain proper relative humidity throughout the entire hospital and not just in required rooms which will better ensure the requirements of Joint Commission and CMS are met.

• The goal of this project is to have a steam boiler installed that will humidify the entire hospital through steam injection into the 11 air handlers. Additionally, this project will demolish AHU 5 and its three served VAVs and replace it with a new air handler and VAVs utilizing DDC controls. This new AH will be sized appropriately and with technology allowing dehumidification in the summer and humidification in the winter