The Center for Health Design Blog

Run Until Aprehended

That’s what Dublin Methodist Hospital CEO Cheryl Herbert told her design team when they were planning the new hospital. And indeed they did.

img_1267.gif

At the Pebble Project research initiative meeting this week in Columbus, OH, we had the good fortune to be able to tour Dublin, which doesn’t officially open until January. Cheryl and her team, which included Karlsberger Architects and designers CAMA Inc., have done a wonderful job of taking all the best evidence-based design ideas — and more — and creating a hospital that sets a new bar for design.

img_1260.gif

Although not complete, our hard-hat tour of the building revealed more than enough to pass this judgement. Patient rooms have patient and family zones, with windows that actually open, and handwashing sinks that are visible; even visually “cued.” There’s an innovative approach to nurse workstations, an interesting chapel space, and planned rooftop and courtyard gardens. Everything seems to be beautifully executed, not over-designed, but wonderfully detailed.

img_1265.gif

Congratulations to Cheryl and her team! We are looking forward to the research data that will come out of this Pebble Project.

To see more photos of the Dublin Tour taken by Henry Domke, click here.

Miracles Will Happen

At my first Pebble Project Meeting in Houston it was a great pleasure to meet representatives of The Louisiana State University Healthcare Service Division, one of our newest Pebble Partners. (Long name, hereafter referred to as LSU.)

LSU, with its partners, is the largest provider of healthcare in Louisiana, with more than 1.2 million patient visits annually to 283 outpatient clinics and 49,000 admissions to eight hospitals. Mission-driven to care for the uninsured and provide training opportunities for future health professionals, LSU HCSD is a statewide safety net system in which everyone is eligible for care.

As a public health provider, the organization doesn’t fit the typical Pebble profile and it was extremely interesting to spend some time with them and hear the challenges they are up against as they work to rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the region and battered their facilities.

Brian Massey of ADAMS Management Services Corporation, consultants on the project, was good enough to send me some pictures of LSU Charity Hospital in New Orleans in the early days after Katrina hit.

See the entire album on Flickr