In 2009, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report showing that the American healthcare sector accounts for nearly one-tenth of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, the largest contributor to global climate change of any industry sector.
By nature, we as healthcare architects design to incorporate trends in delivery of care, facility requests, and code requirements. But do we really understand how design affects staff, patients, and families?
Over the past two years, I've had my share of personal medical tragedies. It started when my father passed away after surgery. He died in the surgical intensive care unit, as I watched. The ordeal made me question how we design ICUs.
If you walk the streets of Paris, you’ll quickly notice the prevalence of street cafés and the bustling activity that surrounds them at all hours. Far more than just a place to get a bite to eat or a cup of coffee, they’re a neighborhood destination in and of themselves. They serve as a kind of extended “living room” for their entire community, and as a place residents seek out to pass the time.
As hospitals scramble to bolster primary care staff, healthcare executives are discovering that the pool of eligible workers is rapidly shrinking into a sellers’ market.
Most of us think of female chickens that run around a barnyard when we hear the word “hen.” But in healthcare these days, HEN stands for hospital engagement network—something that 3,700 hospitals across America are participating in to identify best practices and solutions for reducing hospital-acquired conditions and unplanned readmissions.
Events targeted for reduction are:
The Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children (BRHFC) in Birmingham, Ala., a new landmark on the city’s landscape, is the largest single healthcare project built to date in the state of Alabama. With 332 beds plus 48 bassinets, the $400 million, 760,000-square-foot hospital uses color and design to appeal to children of all ages.
Completion date: August 2012
Total building area: 780,000 square feet
Total construction cost: $260 million
Owner: Children’s of Alabama Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children
Architecture: HKS Inc., in association with Giattina Aycock Studio
Interior design: HKS Inc.
Contracting: Owner’s rep.: KLMK Group
As noted in my last post, a critical access hospital (CAH) is often the foundation of a community that stands alongside other prominent civic buildings.
CAHs help define the community; they culturally reflect the community's history and future while adding to its economic base with well-paying professional jobs.
Years ago, lobbies were small areas where people got the information they needed before quickly moving on to different parts of a healthcare facility. Today, lobbies are destinations where people can spend significant amounts of time thanks to the addition of lots of open spaces and amenities. Designed as a visitor’s first point of contact with a facility, a lobby must send the message, “Welcome. We’re glad you’re here.”
The first impression
A new website is available to help people in California compare insurance providers and hospitals, launched by the State of California Office of the Patient Advocate. The site (reportcard.opa.ca.gov) was created in advance of the implementation of healthcare exchanges, to help people navigate the options and make informed decisions on their care and insurance provider.
Flooring sets the stage for all healthcare facility activities. It contributes to visitors' first impression of a space and shapes their opinions about an organization's ability to provide safe, high-quality, and comfortable care. Contributing both to a building’s structural integrity and healing aesthetic, flooring occupies every square inch of measured healthcare facility space, providing a major lifecycle investment opportunity to help realize positive healthcare outcomes, especially those outcomes now linked to reimbursement through healthcare reform.
Improving the health of the community has long been the priority of all healthcare systems in the United States. The goal of sustainable design is, in essence, the same. When the two intersect, patients, staff, and the community benefit.
How are three healthcare systems making sustainability work? Each told their own story at HKS Green Week, held April 15-19, including:
