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patients. The result is more engagement and a healthier and happier disabled population within society.
Standalone access to care
One recently completed project constitutes an example of how this design solution can be implemented. In 2011, a new facility was designed for The NYU Langone Medical Center's Initiative for Women with Disabilities. The center moved into the brand new 4,200-square-foot facility in Manhattan, New York in December 2011. The new move is expected to allow the organization to bet- ter serve the community of women with disabilities. This is a particularly sensitive population of younger women who turn to this center not only for care tailored to their needs, but also for the opportunities for socialization and the learning it provides.
"This is the only facility of its kind to offer women with dis- abilities medical, health and wellness services under a single roof," said Judith Goldberg, MA, NCC and director of IWD. "This new space provides greater access to these programs and spe- cialized gynecological equipment that is not available in most physician offi ces."
Previously located inside another NYU Langone facility, the new center is in a standalone building with a dedicated street- level entrance. The entrance and large reception area eliminate the physical and psychological barriers previously experienced when the center was part of a mixed-facility building. With the new space, the IWD community no longer has to endure the long wait times for shared elevators and space constraints for wheel- chair and bariatric patients within the previous building.
This glass wall feature provides daylight access to the 500-square-foot dividable multipurpose room. It also connects the fi rst-fl oor reception area with the elevator to the patient-care clinics on the second fl oor.
Guests can arrive on time for a class or a social meeting in the group's center without a time consuming or potentially humiliat- ing line at the elevator door. The team has succeeded in bringing integrity back to these individuals through design.
A centrally located reception area was created that eases the check-in for the women who visit the center. Low check-in counters help with wheelchair access,
while cutting-edge hand-scanning technology and a new elec- tronic record system enable a speedy registration process. "Studies show that once physical barriers are addressed and minimized, women with disabilities lead active and productive lives and learn they have much to contribute to society," Gold- berg said. "Today, we have more than 400 women who regularly
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participate in our programs and this larger, standalone facility will allow us to provide services to more women and adolescent girls that need them."
The new three-story IWD Elly and Steve Hammerman Health
& Wellness Center at NYU Langone Medical Center includes a 500-square-foot activity room for programs and exercise classes, two clinical exam rooms with gynecological equipment designed for women with signifi cant mobility conditions and a dedicated space for nutritional counseling, social work and meetings. Gynecological exam rooms feature low-exam tables to ac- commodate patients with different mobility needs. Multi-purpose areas accommodate services for greater numbers of people such as young adolescent programs, Zumba classes, acupunc- ture and movie nights.
The new center design is an excellent example of how institutions can change facilities in order to ease access and advance missions of contributing to the wellness and health of populations with disabilities.
Henry Meltzer is executive vice president of the Health, Science and Education Group at Stonehill & Taylor Architects, P.C., a leading NYC- based architecture and interior design fi rm.
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March/April 2012 | Medical Construction & Design 31
