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SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2025
San Diego Convention Center - San Diego, California

Author: Sandy Fazaa

HEALTHCARE FACILITIES SYMPOSIUM AND EXPO ANNOUNCES SYMPOSIUM DISTINCTION AWARD WINNERS

Sophia Lapat
212.203.6536
[email protected]

Eight Award Recipients Selected by Industry Leaders

Long Beach, CA (September 27, 2022) –The Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, one of the country’s largest and leading shows dedicated to healthcare design and facilities, announces the prestigious winners of its 2022 Symposium Distinction Awards. The annual program recognizes design teams, projects and individuals who have made a profound contribution to the healthcare design industry. The program accepts submissions of all types and sizes of patient care-related facilities. In addition, it recognizes the best and most innovative new products within the healthcare design and construction industry. A total of eight awards were announced during a lunch celebration this morning, Tuesday, September 27.

“The Symposium Distinction Awards have been a celebrated and notable component of Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo since its inception 35 years ago,” said Jenabeth Ferguson, Vice President, Symposium Director. “Our wonderful judges, James Atkinson
Vice President and Director, Healthcare Design and Planning for HDR, Inc, Marcus A. Budaus, AIA, ACHA, LEED® AP, Associate Principal / Senior Vice President for HKS, INC., Gary W Collins, AIA, NCARB, Senior Director, Healthcare for Virtual Energy Solutions, Rolando Conesa, AIA NCARB Principal for NELSON and Amy Douma, AIA, NCARB, and LEED AP, Vice President for HGA Architects and Engineers, have an important job evaluating submissions to choose this year’s winners and we are so excited to honor these individuals, projects and products. ”

Team Award
The Team Award focuses on a project team that has worked together to change the face of healthcare design through innovation, creativity, efficiency and teamwork.

Winner: Boston Children’s Hospital Hale Family Building

User-Centered Award
The User-Centered Award recognizes a healthcare design project or facility that best reflects and balances the requirements of patients, their family and practitioners.

Winner: Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Healing Clinic

Adaptive Reuse Award
The Adaptive Reuse Award recognizes a healthcare design project that creatively achieved the reuse of an existing structure or space originally used for another purpose.

Winner: Hoag On-Demand Care & Innovation Center

Individual Award
The Individual Award seeks to distinguish a professional in the fields of healthcare planning, design, construction and operations that have displayed leadership and vision over a significant period of their career. This award looks to recognize an individual whose passion and driven their organizations or project teams to enhance the healing environment and a way above and beyond.

Winner: Tim Laboranti, Principal of Healthcare Design, BDA Architects

George Pressler Under 40 Award 
The George Pressler Under 40 Award seeks the next generation of leaders within the fields of healthcare planning, design, construction and operations. The George Pressler Award recognizes a young professional who has demonstrated leadership and vision within their organization or project teams.

Winner: Stephen Parker, Senior Associate, Stantec

Product Awards
The Product Awards recognize innovative new products that contribute to the enrichment of a healing environment through their unique design and operational support.

Product Award Categories
Awards will be presented to those outstanding new products whose unique design contributes to the enrichment of a healing environment in each of the following product categories:

Most Innovative
Winner: AkitaBox Facility Condition Assessment Software

Most Sustainable
Winner: Altro Tegulis

Architect’s Choice
Winner: Interface Desert Scapes™

For more information about the Symposium Distinction Awards, please visit hcarefacilities.com

ABOUT
The mission of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is to create a multi-disciplinary environment that inspires you to evoke change and the advancement of a better delivery of healthcare through the physical space. Competitors, clients, and colleagues come together as friends to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing conversation of your industry.

Networking in Long Beach!

By Jenabeth Ferguson

In just over a month, we will all be gathered at the 35th Annual Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo. We have quite a lineup this year over two and a half days, including 3 keynotes and over 50 sessions featuring a roster of over 160 industry leaders speaking, an exhibit hall packed with companies eager to show you their latest products and services and so much more. You can see all our offerings and how much we’ve jammed into the schedule here.

I want you to register for the event if you have not already and come to Long Beach for all the education and sourcing of innovative products and solutions in our exhibit hall. I also know how important networking with your industry peers is, and how much more important in-person networking has become in the past several years. I thought I would share our top three networking events that you need to make sure are on your schedule when at the Symposium in Long Beach this September.

  1. Opening Reception and Symposium Party! Talk about an event highlight. It is your first chance to see all the exhibitors and talk with them about their latest products and services. We’ll be serving drinks and appetizers so you can catch up with your fellow attendees. The Symposium Party also features our annual raffle, where you can buy tickets to win prizes ranging from Apple products to Kate Spade bags to Amazon gift cards and so much more. The best part is 100% of the proceeds from the raffle go to benefit a charitable organization, and this year we’ll be supporting Algalita. Their mission is not to pick trash out of the sea. It’s to fundamentally shift our way of thinking on land. They empower young people to think critically, demand action and be agents for change. When we educate, the next generation responds with solutions. They get behind a cause that has a wide-ranging impact, and they support it.
  2. Ice Cream Social! This is your last chance to visit with exhibitors and thank them for their support of the Symposium. And to make it a little more tempting we provide ice cream as a mid-afternoon snack for all in attendance. Feel like a kid again, grab a sweet treat and make one last circle around the exhibit floor.
  3. Happy Hour! Now this is the time to get away from the convention center, maybe change into a little more Southern California attire and check out a local watering hole. This year we’ll be heading to the Portuguese Bend Distilling which is within walking distance from the hotels and a gastropub celebrating all things boozy, with elaborate taproom & New American eats.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer and I will see you in Long Beach very soon!

Be well,
Jenabeth

Jenabeth Ferguson
Vice President, Symposium Director

Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo

PS. Have a question or comment, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

HEALTHCARE FACILITIES SYMPOSIUM AND EXPO ANNOUNCES POWERFUL KEYNOTE SPEAKERS THAT WILL EDUCATE, ENGAGE AND INSPIRE ATTENDEES

Sophia Lapat
212.203.6536
[email protected]

Healthcare Leaders will converge September 27-29 to the Long Beach Convention Center

Long Beach, CA (September 7, 2022) – Each year at Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, one of the country’s largest and leading shows dedicated to healthcare design and facilities, architects, designers, engineers, contractors and providers gather to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing healthcare industry. HFSE is pleased to announce a powerful lineup of Keynote speakers headlined by Liz Ogbu, Founder + Principal, Studio O, Oleksii Iaremenko, Deputy Minister for European Integration, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and closing Keynote, Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Executive Director, Facilities Management & Operations, University of Texas Health San Antonio.

“This year’s Symposium Keynotes will offer meaningful insight into the defining trends that impact the healthcare facilities industry and explore broader topics impacting the current climate and community at large from the global crisis in Ukraine to spatial and racial justice,” said Jenabeth Ferguson, Vice President, Symposium Director. “The ever-popular Keynote presentations are always a huge draw at HFSE and this year is no exception with a diverse and remarkable line-up.”

Keynote Presentations:

Tuesday, September 27, 9:15am
The opening Keynote, Liz Ogbu is a designer, urbanist, and spatial justice activist, and expert on engaging and transforming unjust urban environments. Her multidisciplinary design and innovation practice, Studio O, operates at the intersection of racial and spatial justice. She collaborates with/in communities in need to leverage design to catalyze sustained social impact.

Wednesday, September 28, 9:15am
Oleksii Iaremenko, Deputy Minister for European Integration for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, has 16 years of experience in health policy formulation and management and five years of experience in technical assistance in implementing health care reform, including financing and management. Iaremenko will discuss the reform of the Ukrainian Health system that started in 2020 from access to medicine, finances, medical care, humanitarian aid and clinical personnel levels. Attendees will learn about the Ukrainian Health system adaptation and functionality during the war in 2022, including health institutions and personnel loss. Iaremenko will discuss the Ukrainian Healthcare recovery plan that will be submitted for approval to WHO/EIB and World bank at the end of September.

“We’re honored to welcome Oleksii Iaremenk to this year’s Symposium who will shine a light on the ever-evolving situation in Ukraine and bring attention to the healthcare crisis that is affecting Ukrainians,” added Ferguson. “Many of our HFSE Board members have ties to Ukraine and we are thrilled to bring this timely discussion to our attendees.”

Thursday, September 29, 11am
The closing Keynote, “Leading with Heart”, will inspire attendees looking to cultivate environments that not only take great care of users, but actually inspire the full spectrum of users to improve their lives. Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez is a Healthcare Facilities Executive, former hospital CEO, Electrical Engineer, Symposium Advisory Board member of more than a decade, and recipient of the Symposium Founder’s Award. She will challenge and inspire attendees with her gripping personal account of blazing a courageous heart-centered leadership trail through the domains of health, healthcare, and design. In the face of countless obstacles, Jessica will describe how she has developed her leadership approach to transcend these challenges and create a highly successful career for herself – as well as for many other individuals.

“Leading with heart requires honesty and transparency,” added Gutierrez-Rodriguez. “It’s not about being nice and non-confrontational. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. One must provide constructive criticism with good intentions and love. I look forward to sharing my insight with attendees at HFSE, September 29.”

For more information or to register, please visit hcarefacilities.com

ABOUT
The mission of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is to create a multi-disciplinary environment that inspires you to evoke change and the advancement of a better delivery of healthcare through the physical space. Competitors, clients, and colleagues come together as friends to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing conversation of your industry.

Champion Your Culture Strategies for Building and Maintaining a Purpose-Driven, Gimmick-Free Culture

By Robins & Morton Division Manager Eric Groat

Whether you call 2022 the “Great Resignation” or the “Great Reshuffle,” team culture has never been more important than it is now, and with good reason.

Finding qualified and committed people at every level is one of the key challenges facing the construction industry as the labor market remains extremely competitive. At the same time, our clients’ continued emphasis on speed to market, set against volatile supply chains, puts even more emphasis on teamwork.

According to a recent study by MIT, a toxic company culture is the strongest predictor of employee attrition and is 10 times more important than compensation when predicting turnover. The study identified toxic cultures by several elements that included lack of diversity, equity and inclusion; disrespect; unethical behavior; and failure to recognize and reward performance.

All those warning signs of a “bad culture” may seem easily identifiable, but are they as easy to spot in our everyday interactions? More importantly, do we recognize them in time to facilitate change within a team?

To answer this question, our first impulse may be to review the lagging indicators first. In the construction industry, these typically include the critical outcomes, such as staying on-target with the schedule, budget, profitability or employee retention. While these are benchmarks of a successful project, they’re not the first signs of trouble within a culture.

Instead, we should be focusing on leading indicators – Is there trust among our team members? Are we engaged in collaborating? How do we handle unethical behavior? Are team members recognized for their contributions and performances?

When we pivot toward proactively identifying indicators of a healthy or toxic culture, we’re able to determine the proper actions to either maintain that culture or reverse the negative changes we see. However, no matter its state, culture requires work.

While every industry and business is different, there are five red flags that I’ve found most universal in identifying the early stages of a toxic culture:

  1. Lack of communication. It’s alarming when two people who are on the same team are working from wildly different sets of information or have a completely different understanding of a goal or outcome. It’s a clear signal that there’s a broken link in the management structure, and that the team doesn’t understand their objective. In addition to chaotic and unproductive exchanges, not understanding desired outcomes also stifles innovation, which limits the potential of the project or work product.
  2. Lack of decision-making. Decisions fuel all forward progress. Developing a clear structure of decision makers and processes to tackle particularly challenging questions are foundational for a functional working relationship. When we see environments that don’t encourage timely responses to critical decisions, we could pull back the curtain and find dysfunctional relationships with managers, fear of company leadership, and team members who are unclear about the mission of their organization. Although no employee wants to make an error, positive and learning-focused environments recognize that people are fallible and will make errors. Our reaction to those errors directly reflects our culture.
  3. Withholding information or support. Not all information is fit for public consumption – whether it’s unconfirmed, too detailed for most, or simply irrelevant – but there’s a difference between filtering and withholding information. Filtering is done with good intentions to provide a team member with the information they need and clarity to complete their task. Withholding information is adversarial, often used as an instrument to influence power dynamics. If a team member begins withholding information, it’s a warning sign that they don’t want to work together to solve a problem.
  4. No action taken as a result of feedback. Feedback is a necessity for improving any workplace or team environment. When people place their trust in a team and provide constructive feedback, it can be a vulnerable experience. Another sign of a toxic culture is expecting team members to enter that vulnerable place with no intention of addressing their concerns.
  5. No motivation to improve. The final sign of a toxic culture can be summarized into a single word: apathy. If there’s one thing we can be certain of, it’s that we’ll experience change – personally, professionally and often at an exponential pace. Without a motivation to improve, a culture will become stagnant, leading to dissatisfied and frustrated team members.

While some of these signs may sound familiar, the good news is that it’s never too late to course correct. Here are a few tactics that have been successful in my experience:

  1. Provide a platform for feedback. Creating a mechanism for feedback is the first step to building trust with your team. Provide several avenues for team feedback such as performance reviews for one-on-one conversations, team health assessments, and companywide people satisfaction surveys. No matter how the feedback is collected, holding ourselves accountable to be transparent about what we received and how we plan to address it is essential to maintaining culture.
  2. Get the right people in the room. When working to address cultural problems, we naturally gravitate to having hard conversations with those whom we already have the greatest rapport. While those conversations may serve as a great sounding board, they’re unlikely to result in meaningful change. Only when we engage everyone and commit to healthy conflict among the team members who can initiate changed behavior can we truly expect an improved outcome.
  3. Hire and promote emotionally intelligent leaders. People will always be any organization’s greatest resource and having leaders who can navigate interpersonal relationships will make the difference when facing a culture crisis. One way to support this within your teams is to ensure you’re providing growth opportunities, and the only way to know what that may look like for a team member is by getting to know them. Establish a review structure for all team members, ensuring every employee has a structured touchpoint with their manager, at least twice year. There are also specific mentorship programs within the company that can help them reach their professional goals. However, most team trust is built in the day-to-day conversations – it’s why we emphasize the importance of teambuilding activities. All of these elements will help you get to know the strengths of your existing team members, and you can build a strong management structure as a result.
  4. See red flags for what they are. It’s easy to categorize a challenging interaction or an undesirable outcome as a one-off, but harder to admit when it may be a sign of a more significant problem. However, we’re better positioned to tackle incremental change than an entire cultural shift. Surfacing an incident before it becomes a long-term issue is a proactive solution to reduce the red flags, one by one.
  5. Pursuing partnerships that are culturally aligned with your organization. Business can be a lot like marriage. The phrase “opposites attract” isn’t often the case – two married people may have different hobbies or social batteries, but it’s rare that they have a completely different value systems. It’s a similar quandary in construction, with numerous long-term project partnerships. Inevitably, there will be friction between teams that don’t share collaborative and transparent practices. Projects are at their best when teams share critical values. While every business partnership won’t be a perfect match, prioritizing working with companies that share fundamental cultural characteristics has a greater opportunity for success.

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing and maintaining culture, its building blocks are grounded in respect for people – respect for your employees, your business partners and your community. Using that as your culture’s guiding principle can assure a successful foundation for your team – no ping-pong table required.

Eric Groat is the Division Manager of Robins & Morton’s San Antonio office. He has more than 20 years of experience managing complex construction projects and is an advocate of Lean construction principles. Groat believes that an emphasis on culture, partnership and respect for people is key to revolutionizing the construction industry.

HEALTHCARE FACILITIES SYMPOSIUM AND EXPO FEATURES, NETWORKING EVENTS, EMERGING LEADER BREAKFAST, AWARDS CEREMONY & CHARITY RAFFLE, SEPTEMBER 27-29, 2022

Sophia Lapat
212.203.6536
[email protected]

Long Beach, CA (August 8, 2022) — Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, one of the country’s largest shows dedicated to healthcare design and facilities, returns for its 35th annual event to the Long Beach Convention Center, September 27-29 with a jam-packed schedule of special events and networking opportunities offering attendees time to connect, recharge and celebrate.

“We are thrilled by all the excitement surrounding the 2022 event in Long Beach as the first Symposium and Expo took place in Southern California 35 years ago,” adds Jenabeth Ferguson, Vice President, Symposium Director. “Our exhibitors, partners, and sponsors are all hard at work planning a show-stopping event filled with engaging sessions, special events and activations that represent the best of what our community has to offer.”

Networking Events
Mix and mingle with new and old friends at daily events including the Networking Breakfast opening morning to kick off the 2022 Symposium (Tuesday, September 27, 7:30-8:30am). New this year, the Emerging Leader Breakfast held during the welcome breakfast will feature designated tables where Symposium Advisory Board members will help guide all newcomers during their 1st Symposium experience. The Grand Opening of Exhibit Floor and Symposium Party kicks off at 4pm and features lite bites, cocktails and the ever-popular Raffle that benefits Long Beach charity partner, Algalita.

The Expo Hall will also be home to the Networking Lunches, Ice Cream Social and many more fun and engaging events. Later that evening the Happy Hour is a chance for all attendees to gather in a local Long Beach establishment for some fun. For the full schedule visit, https://hcarefacilities.com/networking.asp.

Raffle and Charity Partner
The Healthcare Facilities Symposium has a long history of selecting charitable organizations each year, holding a raffle onsite and donating the proceeds to that charitable organization. What started as a small endeavor has grown to a highlight of the annual event with diverse organizations across the country benefitting from the HFSE’s community’s generosity. Since 2006, HFSE has donated over $170,000 to various charitable organizations. The Raffle continues to be a favorite event for attendees and this year’s beneficiary, Algalita, started with an eye-opening discovery when Founder, Captain Charles Moore, discovered a massive area of plastic soup floating in the Pacific Ocean. Their mission is not to pick trash out of the sea, it’s to fundamentally shift the way of thinking on land and empower young people to think critically, demand action and be agents for change. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at HFSE.

Symposium Distinction Awards
The annual program recognizes design teams, projects and individuals who have made a profound contribution to the healthcare design industry. The program accepts submissions of all types and sizes of patient care-related facilities. In addition, it recognizes the best and most innovative new products within the healthcare design & construction industry.

For more information or to register, please visit hcarefacilities.com.

ABOUT
The mission of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is to create a multi-disciplinary environment that inspires you to evoke change and the advancement of a better delivery of healthcare through the physical space. Competitors, clients, and colleagues come together as friends to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing conversation of your industry.

HEALTHCARE FACILITIES SYMPOSIUM & EXPO ANNOUNCES 90+ WORLD-CLASS EXHIBITORS TO SHOWCASE FURNISHINGS, FLOORING, TECHNOLOGY & MORE

Sophia Lapat
212.203.6536
[email protected]

2022 Attendees Can Expect Cutting-Edge Products, Design Team Gallery, and Design Solutions Theater in the Expo Hall

Long Beach, CA (July 14, 2022) — Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, one of the country’s largest and leading shows dedicated to healthcare design and facilities, returns to the Long Beach Convention Center, September 27-29, featuring world-class exhibitors. Encompassing nearly 10,000 square feet, the Expo Hall boasts 90+ top manufacturers showcasing exciting new product launches and solutions in the healthcare industry. The 2022 edition will feature game-changing offerings and services from both leading and emerging brands and provide attendees with unparalleled access to the latest solutions in healthcare design.

“Now in its 35th year, the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo has gained a reputation as one of North America’s most important events for the healthcare facility market boasting some of the best, and most respected manufacturers and solution providers in one place,” said Jenabeth Ferguson, Vice President, Symposium Director. ”The Expo Hall has great energy and excitement as exhibitors often debut products for the first time and demonstrate how healthcare environments come to life. There is nowhere else architects, designers and healthcare leaders can go to see, touch, and experience the latest trends in healthcare design from Mod Sleep Chairs to Lifts to Low-Profile Recessed Doors to Retractable Walls to NurseCall technology and more.”

Experience the latest furniture, wall coverings, technology, flooring, and healthcare solutions from long standing, returning exhibitors including Amico Group, Champion Manufacturing, ABH Manufacturing, ETS-Lindgren, Schluter Systems, Tarkett, Whitehall Mfg/AcornVAC, Mesa Electronics, WIELAND Healthcare, Sky Factory among many others.

“We have a long history (with HFSE). It’s one of the more exciting healthcare formats and shows that we do annually. One of my favorite things about HFSE is some of my best contracts and contacts I’ve ever gotten were at this tradeshow and that’s why we keep coming. I would highly recommend this event for other people trying to break into the healthcare industry and the main reason is the synergy and the contacts and the decision makers you’ll meet annually. — HENRY MESA, CEO, MESA ELECTRONICS

“I absolutely would recommend HFSE. The caliber of the people that are here are true decision makers in these hospitals …We continue to make great relationships here and we think you can too.” — DYLAN HUSSEY, REGIONAL SALES MANAGER, AMICO CORP

This year’s Expo Hall will also feature a roster of 25+ exciting new exhibitors including: Massa Manufacturing & Assembly – a division of Massa Multimedia Architecture, PC, Smith-Emery, Syntegra- Integrated Doors by Design, Systems Source, Sunbelt Rentals, Superdry Restoration, Tangram Interiors, Unisource Solutions, VOC Associates, Yellow Brick Consulting, Inc., Mohawk Group, Ad Light Group, AkitaBox, Bestbath, Cortech BH, Delta Commercial, Didage, Guy L. Warden & Sons, HMTX Commercial (Teknoflor/Aspecta), Integrated Display Systems, LLC, Kennon Products, KENWA Trading Corp., Krug, La-Z-Boy Healthcare® | Knú Comfort®.

“AkitaBox is excited to be joining this year’s HFSE for the first time to connect with senior leaders from healthcare organizations and AEC firms. We plan to introduce Akitabox’s FCA software, which enables both teams to capture assets with their tablet or smartphone while in healthcare facilities. Our comprehensive and data-driven FCA software allows them to effectively report their findings and asset condition level to their board, ensuring that they’re providing patients the safest and healthiest facilities while they’re in your organization’s care.” —Roxy Gribben, VP Marketing, AkitaBox

“We are thrilled to participate in the 2022 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo! We know the symposium will provide abundant learning opportunities, and we look forward to networking with thought leaders from the top A&D firms and executives and facility managers from the nation’s leading healthcare facilities.” — Lauren Banas, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Krug

“Mohawk Group is proud to showcase innovative, sustainable flooring solutions this year at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo. As a division of Mohawk Industries, the world’s largest flooring manufacturer and distributor, our resilient and soft-surface solutions including Homogenous Tile will empower and inspire designers, architects, and healthcare professionals to achieve their vision for any healthcare application.” — Danny MacNair, Regional Vice President, Mohawk Group

“La-Z-Boy Healthcare® | Knú Comfort® is proud to participate in the HFSE show this year in Long Beach! We have been on the road since August 2020, with our new “open air” mobile showroom, taking our products direct to consumers parking lots, so caregivers and decision makers don’t have to leave site to review new products and the entire portfolio of products. We are excited to be in person in Long Beach this Fall and are excited to bring our mobile showroom to the HFSE show this year!” — Adam Stemle, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, La-Z-Boy Healthcare® | Knú Comfort®

The Design Team Gallery, located in the Expo Hall, is where leading architectural firms showcase their healthcare expertise and best projects and also includes two project boards and a 15-minute speaking opportunity in the Design Solutions Theater. Some of this year’s architecture design firms participating include: EwingCole, Payette, Perkins&Will, Stantec, HKS, CallisonRTKL, HGA, DLR Group, E4H Environments for Health Architecture, LEO A DALY, Perkins Eastman, HDR, Page, and Massa Manufacturing & Assembly-a division of Massa Multimedia Architecture, PC. Each will present some of their most notable projects in the Design Solutions Theater. Back by Popular Demand – there will be two design solutions theaters so double the chance to hear about the latest projects in this exciting format.

For more information or to register, please visit hcarefacilities.com.

ABOUT
The mission of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is to create a multi-disciplinary environment that inspires you to evoke change and the advancement of a better delivery of healthcare through the physical space. Competitors, clients, and colleagues come together as friends to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing conversation of your industry.

Top 3 Things

By Jenabeth Ferguson

We are just under 3 months from our 2022 event and there is a lot going on as we’re continuing to make announcements of new developments. I thought I’d take advantage of this space to let you know my top 3 things I am looking forward to as part of this year’s event.

#3 Healthcare Providers Only Roundtable! For the fourth year, we are offering the Healthcare Providers Only Roundtable. The purpose of this roundtable is to create an environment for individuals employed by a hospital or healthcare system who oversee capital construction projects to gather and openly exchange ideas. Last year, I stuck my head into the room during the roundtable discussion and it was really rewarding to see owners together talking to their peers from all across the country and relating to each other’s challenges. It’s an unique opportunity we provide and I’m very thankful we are able to do so each year.

#2 Community Health! We’re offering four sessions this year on Wednesday that deal with health in communities that we don’t always talk about. There will be two sessions discussing communities helping the homeless transition out of homelessness. It’s a conversation we started last year in Austin, and I’m thrilled we’re continuing. The other two sessions talk about two underserved communities: indigenous people in Vancouver, British Columbia and Alaskan Natives. These are sessions close to my heart as my father was Canadian and my brother in law (and both my nieces) are Alaskan Native.

#1 Long Beach! It’s been a long time since the Symposium was in California and we’re very excited to be coming back. 35 years ago, the Symposium was held for the first time in Southern California so it’s appropriate that we’re coming back to this rich area of the country for both healthcare and design. Long Beach is easily accessible as there are three airports all within 30 miles and it has a great public transportation system. And of course the beach is right there so be sure to take some time outside of the event schedule and visit the area.

Enjoy your summer and make plans to join us in Long Beach, California this fall!

Be well,
Jenabeth

Jenabeth Ferguson
Vice President, Symposium Director
Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo

PS. Have a question or comment, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

Agency, Blossoming, Better Tomorrows, and YOU

By Dr. Wayne Ruga, FAIA, FIIDA, Hon. FASID

In our world that is circumscribed by histories, beliefs, and biases – our true heritage – the natural human agency, to express ourselves freely, that we were each born with, gets increasingly constrained as we progress in our development, an inescapable paradox that most of us are blind to. ‘Structure’ – such as norms, rules, and policies – is the insidious and ever-present constraint to ‘agency’, and for many of us, reproducing and producing more limiting structure is what we unknowingly become practitioners of, and rewarded for, rather than drawing upon our own natural agency to liberate ourselves, and those around us, to become more of who we were originally born to be.

At the Seventh Symposium, our Keynote Speaker was Bernie S. Siegel, a surgeon, who encouraged us to examine how this ‘agency-structure paradox’ creates limitations in our ability to achieve greater personal health, deliver more compassionate healthcare, and live our lives in ways that are more fulfilling. The theme of his presentation was captured in a compellingly simple photographic image, that he presented, of how nature is unstoppable in its pursuit to express its agency – even in the face of the most severe limitations of structure.

Dr. Siegel’s image was of a dandelion that had forced its way up through a newly paved and striped urban roadway – a road where the asphalt was still shiny in its newness and the yellow painted center line was, as yet, untrodden by vehicles – and this dandelion was the only natural element in this sterile urban setting, beaming triumphantly in the rays of the sun, having become the brilliant dandelion that it was created to be. Of course, the point of the image was to encourage us to each become like this dandelion.

Anais Nin expressed this same point with breath-taking eloquence, when she said – ‘And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom’. Through these simple words, we can begin to see the fact that we do have a choice – it’s not an easy choice – but it is a choice that is available to each one of us. Do we choose to remain as a bud – constrained by structure, or blossom – as an expression of our natural agency?

Of course, since we all want to choose to blossom – why is it so challenging and difficult? To suggest that it is simply a matter of beliefs is to oversimplify the situation. However, our beliefs are key to what we choose. For example, in The Doctor and the Soul, by Viktor Frankl, we see a dramatic example of how the power of our believing that we have a choice, and making it, can profoundly inform our experience – even in an extreme situation where pain is involved. In Viktor Frankl’s chilling personal account of being tortured, he describes how he chose to be triumphant over his situation, drawing a direct parallel to Dr. Siegel’s brilliantly radiant dandelion image.

Now, in its 35th year, the Symposium has a proud legacy of being a highly fertile field, providing the essential conditions that enable its participants to blossom – the extreme opposite of the newly paved urban roadway or the torturous conditions that Frankl survived. The Symposium is a unique place with an established history of supporting positive beliefs in our ability to improve the world, supporting our choosing to blossom, and actively encouraging our blossoming because of the invigorated agency that our courageous Symposium community supports our access to.

In fact, in support of our belief that we can each improve the world by making better tomorrows – we have compelling evidence that the Symposium accomplishes precisely what Dr. Siegel encouraged us to do: by providing the conditions that support our liberated expressions of agency, the Symposium enables improvements to our personal health, it has championed a more compassionate delivery of healthcare, and has enriched a vast number of human lives. Rather than contributing to the already-too-much-structure, the Symposium supports expressions of agency – bold agency, courageous agency, agency that enables our community of believers-in-better-tomorrows to actually create better tomorrows, day after day, and year after year – in the face of the ever-increasing structure that continuously attempts to constrain our expressions of agency.

As an original creation – unlike anything that existed before it – the Symposium was created to be a community of like-minded individuals. It was intended to be an annual ‘place’ to learn from each other and to share resources. The very name, ‘Symposium’, was carefully chosen to express the value of ‘discussing together’ – the non-hierarchical and inclusive activity that gives its flourishing community an infusion of vitality and a taste of the splendor of openly expressing our uniquely individual agency. As active participants in this experience of ‘discussing together’, we can feel the warmth of acceptance and a valuing of difference.

One of the original hallmarks of the Symposium was its open invitation to all stakeholders in health, healthcare, and design to engage in a new, and very different kind, of collaborative discussion – to provide this new and ever-expanding global community with the opportunity to hear new voices and different perspectives, to learn new ways, as well as for your voice to be heard and appreciated, for you to be seen and recognized, for your ideas to be openly expressed, for your resources to be shared and valued, and for you to learn in ways that open your mind to new possibilities.

The Symposium is a place for YOU to blossom: as an attendee in the 3-day long annual event, with ongoing discussions with Symposium community members between the times of the annual event, through the special relationships that develop through these discussions, and through the positive reinforcement that being in community with like-minded colleagues – those who believe in making better tomorrows – can encourage and support.

As this year’s 2022 Symposium returns ‘home’ to California, the state of its ‘birth’, YOU are invited to return ‘home’ to the fertile conditions of the annual Symposium where you will be encouraged to blossom, and to re-discover being the triumphant active agent that you were born to be. I am looking forward to our further blossoming together in Long Beach, in September.

Telemedicine: Comparing Facility Design Models

By Jenni Eschner AIA, EDAC, LEED AP

Telemedicine as a mode of patient care delivery is here to stay. With the $1.5 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, coverage has been extended for telemedicine services, sending a message of support to ensure better healthcare access. Over 80% of surveyed physicians agree that patients have better access to care due to the availability of telemedicine (AMA 2021 Telehealth Survey Report).

Increasing professional satisfaction, telemedicine has allowed providers to find better work-life balance. According to a 2019 survey by American Well there is a correlation between physicians’ interest in using telemedicine and physician burnout. Specialists are among the most burnt out and are also most willing to practice via telemedicine.

Patients like it, too. A Jones Lang LaSalle surveyshows that seventy-six percent of all respondents who have had a telemedicine visit since July 1, 2021 would prefer to use this option in the future. For parents with multiple children, not having to find childcare or not having to take both healthy and sick children in for a clinic visit is a huge satisfier. The ability to do a virtual visit after hours and not have to take time off work for minor illnesses saves precious paid time off.

Architects are asked to help our clients figure out effective and affordable ways to implement this care model. What are best practices when designing telemedicine spaces? It depends on the situation.

Two Scenarios: Care Team Integration

To ensure the continued success of telemedicine, it needs to be integrated into the care team continuum. While technology allows us more mobility and flexibility, it needs to be deliberately planned, tested, and implemented.

Two scenarios need to be considered.

One telemedicine version is where a patient is in-person at a healthcare facility and interacts with care givers at a different location, either on or off site. This might be a visit with their provider and additional care team, such as social workers, pharmacists, psychologists, and other coordinated care. FGI 2018 Guidelines provides requirements for this scenario which include acoustics, lighting, finishes, patient orientation and equipment placement. These will be expanded in the upcoming FGI 2022 version.

The second telemedicine option is when a provider and/or staff interact with a patient and either the patient or both patient and caregiver are remote. According to the AMA 2021 Telehealth Survey Report, 80% of physicians are in a clinic during a virtual visit, while 64% are at home. 95% of patients typically connect from their home setting.

Three Models: The Comparison

There are three programmatic areas architects plan with clients to achieve this integration.

Model 1: Existing Exam Room

This option gives providers the ability to do both virtual and in-person clinical visits within the same work period without having to physically relocate. The same support staff is available to the provider during these visits and the same clinical supplies and tools are also available without duplication. This is a familiar and branded experience for the patient since the visual background they see is the same as during an in-person visit.

There are downsides to using an existing exam room. Renovations may be required to provide the right environment and infrastructure for connectivity. This might mean that additional equipment such as a microphone or camera would need to be added. Using an existing exam room also ties up space that could be used for in-person visits. And our clients are sharing that it can be challenging for providers to switch back and forth between a synchronous virtual visit to an in-person visit. The fact that you don’t need as much physical space for a telemedicine visit also makes this an inefficient option for a healthcare facility from a $/SF standpoint. Along with the size of the room, a virtual visit would not require the same medical equipment/amenities in the existing exam room for telemedicine.

Model 2: Dedicated Telemedicine Room

A dedicated room can be smaller and simpler, so organizations don’t overspend on equipment, millwork, and plumbing. Having these rooms also frees up traditional exam rooms so that more care can be provided at the same time. As with using an existing exam room, the same support staff and supplies are readily available.

What gets omitted from projects when clients can’t afford everything they want? Often, it’s staff support areas. We’ve been riding the prioritization wave of “patients’ needs first” for the past 15+ years in healthcare planning. There is now a shift to a more holistic systems approach, in which the entire life cycle of providing quality healthcare is considered and prioritized. When not in use as telemedicine space, these rooms can flex as multi-purpose use, small meeting, dictation, off-stage or staff respite space.

While simpler and less expensive, in an existing facility there is still the cost of space reallocation and renovation in creating dedicated telemedicine rooms. These rooms are ideally near the provider. In a new project, this can change the planning module of the department and add additional space to the overall footprint.

Model 3: Separated Space/Call Center

The final option we look at with our clients is a separate or off-site facility. This can range on a spectrum of one provider working out of their home to a large call center type of office space. The lower cost of construction and overhead for this space type makes it worth investigating and it (or the provider) can be located anywhere. This is a big advantage for facilities with a limited footprint, as they can prioritize available square feet for higher acuity care.

Another benefit to a physically separated space is that it can more easily adjust to varying volume demand. When rent is cheap and lease terms are short, it is not difficult to relocate. Because of this scalability, healthcare organizations can more easily increase quantities of providers and potentially reach new patients, even outside of a demographic area.

However, expanded access of virtual care to a wider population increases the responsibility of healthcare organizations to ensure their providers’ licenses and credentials are in good standing (“Managing provider licensure amid expanding Telehealth” April 2022). During the Public Health Emergency of COVID-19, all 50 states waived state licensure requirements. Now that most states have reinstated them, healthcare systems that want to use a large call center to reach patients in various states need to monitor that their physicians on staff are licensed in those locations.

The demands of technology on an organization can be a barrier to having off-site virtual visit locations. A healthcare system’s IT department may not be set up to manage the demands that arise, especially when it occurs in a provider’s residence.

Another drawback to a separated virtual visit model is that the support team and resources are not all in the same location. It may not be practical to use a synchronous care team approach (MA + Physician in one visit) from a staffing and scheduling standpoint. This could lead to additional work for staff. There is also the risk of less oversight and accountability.

And finally, patient experience might be diminished if there are too many steps or transitions in the virtual visit process or if it feels disconnected from the healthcare organization. Sure, it is convenient to be able to speak with a physician at 9:00 p.m. while they are in their living room. But doesn’t it feel just a little weird and unprofessional? For this reason, health systems need to work hard on the technology piece to make sure it feels familiar and consistent with the quality of care one would get during an in-person visit.

Takeaways

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for telemedicine. My recommendation is that as stewards of our clients’ buildings, we should “be flexible but stick to [our] principles” (Eleanor Roosevelt). Design spaces so they can adapt to new technologies and uses, but don’t overbuild. Work with your clients to help them figure out what will serve their needs best. If one thing has become clearer over the past couple of years, it’s that we are scrappy and resilient and need to do more with less. And we can!

HEALTHCARE FACILITIES SYMPOSIUM AND EXPO RETURNS SEPTEMBER 27-29, 2022 TO THE LONG BEACH CONVENTION CENTER

Engaging Programming, Innovative Products, Keynotes, Industry Leaders, and Networking Events

Long Beach, CA (June 15, 2022)Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, one of the country’s largest shows dedicated to healthcare design and facilities, returns for its 35th annual event to the Long Beach Convention Center, September 27-29. This must-attend symposium and expo brings together architects, designers, engineers, contractors and providers to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing healthcare industry. Attendees will have a chance to sit in on compelling Keynote Presentations, explore 100+ Exhibitors, be inspired by industry leaders at daily Conference Sessions, enjoy Networking Events and much more.

“We’re thrilled to return to California this September as the Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo’s roots are here as the first Symposium took place in Southern California 35 year ago,” said Jenabeth Ferguson, Vice President, Symposium Director. “The energy at the event is always incredible. From powerful keynotes to informative sessions to product launches from top Exhibitors, HFSE 2022 is the event for healthcare industry leaders, from design firms to healthcare owners.”

Robust Conference
The Symposium features three jam-packed days of educational and insightful sessions, case-studies and keynotes meant to inspire and improve current and future healthcare facilities. The sessions will span multiple topics including Pediatrics, Behavioral Health, and Community Health, among others that are making an impact on the healthcare design industry. This year’s closing keynote is Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez, a Healthcare Facilities Executive, former hospital CEO, Electrical Engineer, Symposium Advisory Board member of more than a decade, and recipient of the Symposium Founder’s Award. Jessica will challenge and inspire with her gripping personal account of blazing a courageous heart-centered leadership trail through the domains of health, healthcare, and design.

Expo Hall
The Expo Hall features the most Innovative products and services in the healthcare facilities industry from some of the country’s top manufacturers and providers. Many exhibitors will launch new products at HFSE, getting in front of important decision makers from healthcare facilities, architecture and design firms. Experience the latest furnishings, technology, flooring, healthcare consulting from WIELAND Healthcare, Projectmate, Tarkett and ECG Management Consultants, a Siemens Healthineers Company and many more. Don’t miss mini sessions on the Expo Floor at the Design Solutions Theater where the design team galleries come alive in these 15 minute presentations. Back by Popular Demand – there will be two design solutions theater so double the chance to hear about the latest projects in this exciting format.

Symposium Distinction Awards
The annual program recognizes design teams, projects and individuals who have made a profound contribution to the healthcare design industry. The program accepts submissions of all types and sizes of patient care-related facilities. In addition, it recognizes the best and most innovative new products within the healthcare design & construction industry. All entries are due August 4 and submissions can be made here: https://hcarefacilities.com/awards/entryform1.asp

Networking Events
Mix and mingle with new and old friends at daily events including the Grand Opening of Exhibit Floor and Symposium, Ice Cream Social, Happy Hour and many more fun and engaging events.

For more information or to register, please visit hcarefacilities.com

ABOUT
The mission of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is to create a multi-disciplinary environment that inspires you to evoke change and the advancement of a better delivery of healthcare through the physical space. Competitors, clients, and colleagues come together as friends to collaborate, share research, hear fresh perspectives and participate in the ever-changing conversation of your industry.