The effort to promote and support population health and wellness has few rivals in its influence on healthcare today, inspiring the planning, design, and construction community to create environments that help providers deliver on that mission. The solutions being brought to the table vary widely, though, each in its own way answering the call. Healthcare Design asked industry members how wellness is being defined in their work—and they showed us.
The effort to promote and support population health and wellness has few rivals in its influence on healthcare today, inspiring the planning, design, and construction community to create environments that help providers deliver on that mission. The solutions being brought to the table vary widely, though, each in its own way answering the call. Healthcare Design asked industry members how wellness is being defined in their work—and they showed us.
Foshan Women’s and Children’s Hospital is a greenfield project in the city of Foshan, in the province of Guangdong, China. It includes a 1,200-bed inpatient tower and 25 outpatient departments dedicated to women’s and children’s services. The hospital is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.
Many remote and rural areas in the United States lack adequate access to basic healthcare services found in more urban locations, such as primary, urgent, and emergency care. In addition, many of these communities are composed of an increasing aging population, a growing number of residents with chronic illnesses, and, in some communities, tourists who may require urgent care. The need is apparent, but patient volumes overall remain low.
After receiving approval from the Maryland Health Care Commission to relocate, construction recently began for Adventist HealthCare Washington Adventist Hospital’s move from Takoma Park to the White Oak section of Silver Spring, Md., in Montgomery County.
Once plagued by concerns over healthcare reform—Will it pass? Will it be overturned? What happens now?—healthcare architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) firms are taking a step out of the legislation’s shadow as the industry collectively moves forward, albeit cautiously.
Twenty years ago it was a “forgone conclusion” that some patients would contract a healthcare-associated infection (HAI), said Linda Dickey, senior director of quality, safety, and infection prevention at the University of California Irvine Medical Center.
It’s long been recognized that the delivery of healthcare in the U.S. doesn’t quite stack up against that of other peer countries across the world, ranking low comparatively on effectiveness, quality, and even healthy living, said Jim Miller, executive vice president of JE Dunn Construction—“We should not be proud of this.”
Miller spoke at the ASHE PDC Summit this week in the session “Designing for an Ever-changing Present: Insights from Patients and Physicians on Designing Change-ready Facilities.”
At its core, any healthcare building is a workplace. So what are the basic elements and best practices behind making that workplace a high-performing one? A panel of designers shared some ideas Monday at the ASHE PDC Summit in San Diego.
Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) was founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, and today is one of central Texas’ largest professional medical groups. ARC focuses on primary care—family practice, pediatrics, and internal medicine—and includes 21 specialties to best serve its patient population.
When Community Health Systems (CHS) acquired the old Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., back in 2007, hospital leaders had already been considering a relocation. An undeveloped piece of real estate in the city’s Grants Mill area was the anticipated site for the new build, but a significant downside to the option soon emerged: There was very little commercial or residential development around.
Although in existence for decades, urgent care has seen a resurgence in recent years, thanks largely to a provider push toward outpatient treatment and the hole that urgent care stands to fill in the overall preventive health puzzle. It also answers growing demand from patients seeking more convenient care options that don’t require a trip to the ED or a primary care physician, especially outside normal business hours.
