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Member Spotlight |
Sara K. Wengert, AIA, ASID, Principal at architecture+ Briefly describe your current role. I am a principal at architecture+, a medium sized firm in upstate New York. The vast majority of my time is spent programming, planning and designing interiors for large mental health projects across the country. How long have you been affiliated with The Center? Our practice has been affiliated with CHD for years, and I quietly benefited from the organization long before I made the jump to personal membership. In 2019, Ellen Taylor invited me to share the honor of serving with other design professionals in a patient safety risk assessment workshop at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. That experience exposed me to the reach that the Center has, and its role in supporting people who want to improve the way they provide care or design for those who do. What led you to become a member? My partner and CHD Changemaker Award recipient Frank Pitts invited me to present with him at HCD 2018. The experience was invigorating and the discourse after the presentation served as a validation of the work we do to create environments for those suffering from mental illness. Our colleagues and peers are so genuinely interested in one another’s work that the HCD conference is incomparable. How did you get started in the industry? Fifteen years ago, mental health design was truly a niche market, and architecture+ was at the forefront. We had the work and somebody needed to do it…I got hooked! Are you involved in any volunteer efforts? For the past several years, I have served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Troy that is experiencing a long-awaited renaissance. What have you liked most about being part of The Center for Health Design community? The passion that the leaders, staff and members of this organization have for healthcare really shines. CHD offers an impartial forum for information sharing, collaboration and networking that continues to expand the breadth of content every year. What is your CHD “go-to” resource? That’s tough, I’ll choose 3:
Is there someone who has inspired your work? With every new project there is at least one clinician, administrator or project manager whose dedication to their work pushes me to meet them. The therapist who patiently brings a child back from the brink of a violent meltdown, or the psychiatric nurse manager determined to eliminate seclusion at their hospital…these folks remind me how important my work is because it lets them do their best work. What is one of your greatest professional accomplishments? In 2014, The Vermont Psychiatric Care Center opened. This state-of-the-art hospital was designed and constructed in less than two years, with immense involvement from advocates, state legislators and the caring staff who had rescued their patients from the flooded Vermont State Hospital. Hurricane Irene brought devastation to the state in 2011, but it was the catalyst for the overdue replacement of an obsolete facility that could not support the model of care that the amazing staff were desperately trying to provide for their patients. I am so proud that architecture+ was a part of that project. Tell us something that others may not know about you. My preferred self-calming technique is bird identification. Sara, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us this month. We appreciate all that you do. |
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