Survey: Healthcare Designers Look To Future Of Medical Facilities In Light Of COVID-19 Pandemic

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The American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) has released the key findings of a survey of its members revealing their insights on the future of healthcare architecture and the role of design in the context of the COVID-19 healthcare crisis.

“The extensive experience of ACHA’s healthcare architects gives us unique insights into how this pandemic will shape the future of healthcare,” said Vince Avallone, AIA, ACHA, CASp, LEED AP, the ACHA‘s President. “These findings will influence the design of hospitals and healthcare environments for years to come.”

ACHA Coronavirus Survey Reveals Healthcare Designers’ Role In Addressing The Pandemic

The ACHA survey revealed:

• Over 63% of respondents helped clients evaluate alternative care sites.

• Over 60% of ACHA experts were called on to help healthcare systems increase capacity – 28% created over 100 beds.

• Over 70% of respondents believe design for mass casualty patient surges will be an important element for hospitals in the future.

• Over 80% of respondents thought the telehealth boom would have major impact on facility design.

ACHA surveyed 129 certified professional healthcare designers to reveal lessons learned from COVID-19 and the role of architects in addressing the crisis. Participants represent areas across North America, including many severely affected states such as New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and Pennsylvania.

What Will Happen With Healthcare Facilities After The COVID-19 Pandemic?

The survey also identified the healthcare designers’ concerns about the future:

• How can hospitals be designed so normal operations (such as elective procedures) can continue through a pandemic so as not to disrupt regular patient treatment and create financial shortfalls for providing institutions?

• With the likely implementation of restrictions on patient/visitor traffic flow to control cross-contamination, how will this transform facility intake and entry design?

• How will increased restrictions placed on patient/visitor traffic flow to control cross-contamination transform facility intake and entry design?

• How can architects emphasize building flexible, adaptable facilities that can be easily modified to allow a quick response to changing medical priorities?

• How can healthcare and non-healthcare facilities be designed to handle patient overflow in a more expedient fashion?

ACHA Member Represent The The Top U.S. Healthcare Design Firms

“ACHA certificate holders represent a majority of the nation’s top healthcare design firms,” said Avallone, a Vice President/Senior Medical Planner at SmithGroup. “These results show our continuing commitment to help develop solutions for future healthcare design challenges. ”

For the full results of the survey, click here.

 

Source: Building Design+Construction

Vanderbilt University Medical Center To Convert Tennessee Supermarket Into Surgery Center

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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.) plans to convert a former Harris Teeter supermarket into an 15 million, 50,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center that will include seven operating rooms, 18 exam rooms, nine infusion stations, and two procedure rooms offering urology, orthopedic, and oncology services in Belle Mead, Tenn., according to the article in the Nashville Business Journal:

Residents of Belle Meade will have a new health care option in their neighborhood. Vanderbilt University Medical Center filed permits with Metro to renovate a former Harris Teeter supermarket at a price tag of more than $15 million, according to the permits. The 50,000-square-foot Belle Meade Ambulatory Surgical Center will be located at 6002 Highway 100, at the Highway 70 and Highway 100 split.

Vanderbilt has been growing its Middle Tennessee footprint in recent years and now has approximately 100 sites of care, such as urgent care centers and oncology centers, across the region. Last year, the health system bought Tennova Healthcare-Lebanon from Franklin-based Community Health Systems.

The Belle Meade surgery center will give the neighborhood’s financially well-off residents, who typically have private insurance, a convenient access point to the VUMC system. The facility will include seven operating rooms, 18 exam rooms, nine infusion stations and two procedure rooms, according to a news release, and will offer urology, orthopedic and oncology services.

“This new facility will provide convenient, state-of-the-art care for people closer to where they live, and represents another example of Vanderbilt’s commitment to expand to meet the needs associated with our growing region,” Dr. C. Wright Pinson, VUMC deputy CEO and chief health system officer, said in the release.

It was not immediately clear when renovations on the facility would begin or when the facility is expected to open. The surgery center is currently in the design-development phase with New York-based Blair + Mui Dowd Architects, according to the release. Messer Construction Co. is listed as the applicant on the permit.  The supermarket closed in 2015.

 

Source: healthcare design

Flagler Health, UF Health Sign Letter Of Intent To Collaborate On Health Campus

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St. Augustine, Fla.-based Flagler Health+ has signed a letter of intent with Gainsville-based University of Florida Health to collaborate on a comprehensive health campus in Florida.

If a final deal is reached, the healthcare campus would be built on a 40-acre parcel of land in St. Johns, Fla., which was bought last year by Flagler. The land is known as Flagler’s Durbin Park Campus.

With the letter of intent, which is nonbinding, the two organizations will explore options for the healthcare campus. The options being considered include building hospital facilities and ambulatory surgery centers, as well as establishing space for medical residency programs or other educational programs.

Flagler Health+ already plans to build its health village on the parcel, but is now looking to expand its health campus with UF Health. Flagler expects to break ground on the health village this fall.

“Collaboration is an important part of our strategy at Flagler Health+, as we look to create individualized experiences and customized service offerings for the distinctly unique communities we serve today, and those we will serve in the future,” said Flagler Health+ President & CEO Jason Barrett.

“We are looking forward to continuing discussions with Flagler Health+ to establish shared goals on behalf of residents of the region,” said David Nelson, MD, president of UF Health.

 

Source: Becker’s Hospital Review