Jennifer Silvis

A week after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, I can’t help but wonder how much the decision will impact the projects healthcare facilities across the country are planning, or recently completed.

When I learned that the July 2012 issue of HEALTHCARE DESIGN would focus on ambulatory care, it made me pause and glance at the types of projects currently on my to-do-list.

Not surprisingly, the large acute-care facility projects are all falling off and being replaced with smaller more ambulatory projects. Most are renovations. Many are trending toward wellness and aiming to improve the health of the people in their communities. All are aiming to achieve the highest scores in patient satisfaction.

With its blue coasts, warm climate, thermal hot springs, storied history, and culinary delights, Turkey has nearly always been an epicenter for international tourism. Located at the conflux of southern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans, the country’s geography and culture appeals to all varieties of visitors, and its economy is supported by millions of travelers each year.

I’m happy to share a transition taking place here at HEALTHCARE DESIGN and Healthcare Building Ideas.

In response to feedback we’ve heard from our readers, we’re making an exciting move to bring the construction, engineering, and facility management content of Healthcare Building Ideas (HBI) under the umbrella of sister magazine HEALTHCARE DESIGN (HCD), creating a more robust brand that delivers all of the targeted industry content you need—all in one place.

In 1997, when the American Hospital Dubai opened the doors of its modest 100-bed American-style community hospital, the structural feats that would soon define the image of Dubai (man-made islands, indoor ski slopes, and the world’s tallest building) were still just architectural dreams.

Several months ago, Cannon Design completed the design of a prototype healthcare facility in Afghanistan that would serve as a template for the delivery of medical services in the war torn country. The challenges were many—creating a hospital in a country where basic healthcare was a virtual luxury, did not prove easy. 

Western Galilee Hospital-Nahariya serves as the main hospital for the people of northwest Israel. However, in addition to its daily order of business, the facility with a location just six miles from the Lebanon border also has been established as the primary treatment center for casualties resulting from volatility between the two nations.

June 11-15 marks International Week here at HEALTHCARE DESIGN, a nod in the direction of all of the breakthroughs being made in healthcare design, as well as in healthcare delivery, outside our American borders.

In July 1994, the Great Lakes region in Central Africa was in tatters as mass genocide marred the land. “No people, no nation” was a common call; the Tutsis who represent 14% of the region’s population were deemed worthy of death by the government.

Of survivors, widows and orphans were traumatized. Repatriates and refugees became disoriented. As for the nation’s civic infrastructure, there were no markets, no food, no hospitals, and no schools.