Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.
Issue link: https://mcdmag.epubxp.com/i/206370
First Word MCD MEDICAL CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN Specially designed spaces optimize user-friendly places The old adage: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" generally works for most things in life, but not all. And definitely not when it comes to the spaces we use most. Our homes, offices, grocery stores and other commonly used facilities may be perfectly functional, but there's always room for improvement. Plus, after a while, things get outdated or sometimes we just want to switch things up. Hospitals are constantly evolving to match patient needs. Recently, we posted two stories on our website about specialty spaces: a senior ED and a new pediatric ER. The senior ED program at Summa Health System's Akron City Hospital offers patients 12 Michelle Tennis specially designed private exam rooms and is staffed by emergency medical physicians and clinicians trained in geriatric medicine. Results of a two-month pilot study of the program show several benefits, including: no significant increase in ED revisits, significantly reduced admissions and, more importantly, significantly increased patient satisfaction scores. On the other end of an equally important patient population, Lutheran Children's Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. recently unveiled its new pediatric emergency room. The $2.4-million project spanning 7,108 square feet is located next to Lutheran's adult emergency department. Amenities include a separate waiting area, nursing station and seven private exam rooms. All exam rooms have TVs and DVD players, access to video games, a rocker recliner and size-appropriate equipment for pediatric patients. "Not all emergency rooms are the same; Lutheran's is now vastly different," said Brian Bauer, CEO, Lutheran Hospital and interim CEO, Lutheran Health Network. "Most hospitals have some dedicated pediatric patient exam rooms, but those young patients are sometimes exposed to the unsettling sights and sounds of adult ER situations. We wanted to change that experience. This new pediatric ER immediately establishes an environment that defines a child-friendly zone where children are the priority." Both the senior ED and the pediatric ER respond and cater to the needs of their patients. The stories are both available on our website, at www.mcdmag.com. While there, please feel free to browse around the site as we have recently given it a complete facelift to better serve your needs. We welcome your feedback at any time; if there is something you would like to see or if you have suggestions, let us know. In the meantime, enjoy the issue! — Michelle Tennis 8040 E. Morgan Trail, Ste. 23, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 phone: 480-361-6300 fax: 480-361-6394 GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Stuart Mann PUBLISHER Evan Mann smann@informpublishing.com emann@informpublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Chris Schmidt cschmidt@informpublishing.com MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Tennis mtennis@informpublishing.com ART DIRECTOR Rachel Tullio rtullio@informpublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Philip Scarano III pscarano@mcdmag.com PRINTER Publishers Press, Inc. ADVERTISING SALES Main Sales Office 480-361-6300 sales@mcdmag.com Stuart Mann 480-361-6300 smann@informpublishing.com Gregg Willinger 914-588-0545 gwillinger@mcdmag.com Jim Oestmann 847-838-0500 joestmann@mcdmag.com Robert Raisman 973-278-7166 rraisman@mcdmag.com Scott Cunningham 678-576-1487 scunningham@mcdmag.com EDITORIAL BOARD Chip Cogswell, Vice President and National Healthcare Director, Turner Construction Jim Degnan, P.E., LEED AP, Principal and Chief Electrical Engineer, Sparling Robin Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Perkins+Will John Kouletsis, AIA, EDAC, Executive Director, Strategy, Planning and Design, National Facilities Services, Kaiser Permanente Dan Lee, AAHID, AIA, ASID, IIDA, National Design Manager, Business Interiors by Staples, Past President, American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers Alison LeVino Jones, AAHID, ASID, IIDA, LEED AP, Principal, LeVino Jones Medical Interiors, Inc., Communications Chair, American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers George J. Mann, AIA, Professor, The Skaggs-Sprague Endowed Chair of Health Facilities Design, College of Architecture, Texas A&M; University Founder and Chairman, The RPD (Resource Planning and Development) Group James W. Moler, P.E., LEED AP Member, Green Guide for Health Care Steering Committee Constance Nestor, FACHE, LEAN, EDAC, MArch Assistant Vice President, Facilities and Support Services, Presence Mercy Medical Center T. Scott Rawlings, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP, Vice President, Healthcare, RTKL Associates; Past President, AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Laura Rygielski Preston, FACHE, Vice President, Global Healthcare, Healthcare Practice, Trane Commercial Systems, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies James Sable, Executive Vice President, greenscreen Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, FACHA, FHFI, LEED AP, Chairman Emeritus, HKS Inc. Former President, American Institute of Architects Joseph G. Sprague, FAIA, FACHA, FHFI, Senior Vice President/Director Health Facilities, HKS, Inc. Greg Wieland, AIA, Healthcare Design Principal, Gresham, Smith and Partners EDITORIAL PURPOSE: Medical Construction & Design (MCD) ISSN 2155-823X provides the reader with insights and information related to the healthcare construction and design industry. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Medical Construction & Design is published six times a year, bimonthly, by Inform Publishing Group LLC, 8040 E. Morgan Trail, Ste. 23 Scottsdale, AZ 85258. Annual subscriptions are free of charge for qualified requesters. Non-qualified subscribers will be charged $45 in the United States, $75 in Canada and Mexico and $105 in all other countries. Single copies (prepaid): $9 in the United States (plus postage), $14 in Canada and Mexico (plus postage) and $19 in all other countries (plus postage). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Medical Construction & Design, P Box 211; .O. Lowell, MA 01853. TRADEMARKS: Medical Construction & Design is a registered trademark of Inform Publishing Group LLC. OPINIONS NOTICE: The opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Inform Publishing Group LLC. Inform Publishing Group LLC assumes no liability for any material published herein. COPYRIGHT: Copyright 2013 by Inform Publishing Group LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, without the prior written permission from Inform Publishing Group LLC.