I received my weekly email from Canadian Architect today, and the heading Montgomery Sisam Architect receives High Commendation for International Mental Health Design caught my eye. I bookmarked the article to read tonight, and was blown away, even by its limited description and small photo for the Sister Margaret Smith Addiction Treatment Centre in Thunder Bay … Continue reading Award: Montgomery Sisam Architects for Sister Margaret Smith
healthcare
Hospital Wait Times vs Long Term Care
Last week the Vancouver Sun had an interesting article indicating why hospital wait times are so long. The study comes from the Wait Time Alliance, which puts out hospital report cards, and breaks down results by province. According to the article: "The data show that the system is barely functioning as a system at all, as too … Continue reading Hospital Wait Times vs Long Term Care
NICU Environment
Last month, I wrote my thoughts on Sunnybrook Hospital's new NICU parent coordinator. Kate Robson, the Sunnybrook Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parent Coordinator, responded to my question: ... is there a way of minimizing the feel of the breathing machines and tubes, and interjecting some life from outside those stabilizing entities? She gave me a link (Thank You!!!) … Continue reading NICU Environment
Kaiser Permanente Competition: Small Hospital, Big Idea – Finalists
So the Small Hospital, Big Idea competition announced the finalists. I was waiting to post on it before I saw the images of the winners but there's a caveat on their site that says "images will be posted shortly," and that's been there for 2 days. Looking forward to the winning entries. I hope they post the … Continue reading Kaiser Permanente Competition: Small Hospital, Big Idea – Finalists
Can Technology Help with Alzheimer's?
I follow a LinkedIn group called the 'AIA Academy of Architecture for Health' (AAH), and through it I discovered the organization The Institute for Patient-Centered Design, Inc, which publishes a newsletter called Perspectives for design professionals and patients. May 2011's newsletter contains an interesting article entitled 'Simple Technology Makes a Huge Impact,' which focuses on the Simple C Companion. … Continue reading Can Technology Help with Alzheimer's?
Kaiser Permanente Competition: Small Hospital, Big Idea
I didn't have the time to participate in this design competition from Kaiser Permanente, a health care providing organization, entitled "Small Hospital, Big Idea," but I'm really looking forward to the results. The design competition seeks: "seeks design concepts for a small, eco-conscious, patient- and family-friendly hospital that uses the best in emerging medical technology … Continue reading Kaiser Permanente Competition: Small Hospital, Big Idea
Navigating the NICU
I was looking through some old articles I bookmarked for later reading and found this one, about a person hired to help families navigate the difficult world of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). While the article presents the job description of a person hired specifically to coordinate families as they deal with premature babies, it … Continue reading Navigating the NICU
Hands-free Taps and Bacteria
Yesterday, an article caught my attention in the Toronto Star; a study done at John Hopkins Hospital found more bacteria in hands-free faucet models than in manual ones. The electronic faucets have been replaced. I find this study fascinating. According to the article: "the bacteria is able to grow in this one style of faucet because … Continue reading Hands-free Taps and Bacteria
What is Evidence-Based Design?
An architect I know called Evidence-Based Design just another buzzword term, like Integrated Design (ID). While Integrated Design is not such a term, the architect believed ID was good practice, and a good architect always involves consultants right from the start of design. He believed ID was a buzzword because it's a term used to … Continue reading What is Evidence-Based Design?
Shameless Self-Promotion
Since I've got this blog promoting books, and other reading materials, I thought I would provide a link to my thesis, which was completed and accepted January 31st this year. I've spent 2 years working on it. And below is the abstract to help you know if you want to continue reading the 55,000 word … Continue reading Shameless Self-Promotion
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