In this new series, Healthcare Design magazine asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what’s got their attention and share some ideas on the subject.
Here, AECOM’s Sheila Cahnman, vice president, healthcare market sector leader, Christy Devens, interior project designer, and Mark Reckin, senior medical planner, open up about healthcare for millennials, branding and more.
The overall objective for the 60,000-square-foot Coquille Valley Hospital replacement project was the transformation from a provider-centric model into a patient-centric experience. This goal was achieved through the expansion of medical services, incorporation of wellness programs, improved operational and staffing efficiencies, enhanced patient and staff safety, and space flexibility.
One observation I’ve made during my journey into the world of healthcare design is that there are a lot of neutral-colored care centers for adults. While children’s hospitals are bursting at the seams with rainbow-inspired lobbies, decorative floor motifs, and color-changing room lighting, the 20-and-older-set is likely to see a palette of beiges and whites on their next visit to the doctor’s office or ER.
With a service area that covers 47 percent of the expansive state of Texas, Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth draws patients from as far west as El Paso and as far south as Austin. That often meant its 55-bed neonatal intensive care unit, one of the highest level NICU programs in the country, didn’t have enough space to meet population demand. In 2009, the hospital received state approval to add beds inside the open-bay care unit. But the fix wasn’t big enough.
While it may take a village to raise a child, it takes a force of experts across a range of disciplines – design, architecture, HVAC, construction, and more – to bring the latest healthcare projects to life. With the industry poised for change, success depends on making sure these fields retain industry leaders while attracting the next-generation of professionals. But are we doing all we can?
For the last 10+ years I’ve been writing about retail design and how a creative window display, the right materials and lighting, and an inspired layout can guide a shopper through a store, influence how they feel, and ultimately inspire them to buy something. It was a fascinating entrance into the world of design.
