HKS Leaders to Speak at 2024 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo
HKS leaders will speak about pioneering research and design projects at the 2024 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo (HFSE) in Austin, Texas, September 24-26.
Now in its 37th year, HFSE brings together industry professionals to share ideas to improve health care delivery through advanced facility design, construction and management. HKS invites HFSE 2024 attendees to visit our designers and researchers at Booth 6 on the Expo floor and join us at the following presentations.
Architectural Avenger: Championing Health Equity in a Safety-Net Hospital
Tuesday September 24, 10:00am – 11:00am CT
Speakers: Colby Dearman, HKS Studio Practice Leader, Health; Amie McBride, HKS Senior Medical Planner; Patrick Casey, Senior Vice President, Facilities Construction & Systems Engineering, Harris Health System; Thomas Packer, Associate Principal, Arup
Amidst the giants of the Texas Medical Center, an unsung hero emerges — a champion who tends to the historically disadvantaged and those most in need within the community. Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Hospital remains steadfast in its commitment to serve all, despite hurdles of budgetary constraints, staff shortages and spatial limitations. The upcoming 1.2 million-square-foot LBJ Hospital heralds a new era of transformative design, poised to mitigate bottlenecks, streamline staffing efficiency, fortify emergency adaptability and face the future with resiliency and flexible solutions. Join us as we delve into designing equitable care delivery that is accessible to while upholding comprehensive care for every individual.
Engaging the Community to Reshape the Future of Healthcare
Wednesday, September 25, 11:00am – 11:15am CT
Speaker: Whitney Fuessel, HKS Regional Practice Director, Health
Learn how the project team for Harris Health System’s LBJ Hospital used a collaborative approach to enable everyone involved in the new hospital — stakeholders, staff, patients and the community — to have a voice in the finished product. Project team members shadowed front-line staff from 40 departments in their current spaces to understand best practices and operational improvement opportunities. In addition, the project team held several community outreach events – including bus rides around town – to ask the public what they would like to see in the new hospital. The team added several design features in response to public opinion and concerns. This approach created overwhelming public support for the project, and the bond passed with 81% of votes in favor of building a new hospital.
CADRE Research: Developing a Blueprint for Mitigating Nurse Burnout
Wednesday, September 25, 3:00pm – 4:00pm CT
Speaker: Deborah Wingler, Global Practice Director, Applied Research, HKS
In an era where more than half of nurses are considering leaving clinical practice, the implications of nurse burnout to our health system are far-reaching. Nurses have not been silent about this problem, taking to social media to amplify the real issues surrounding the nursing shortage, including the systemic factors contributing to extreme burnout within the nursing profession. Using natural language processing to examine over 18,000 subreddit comments, this study illuminates a crucial, yet poorly understood aspect of nurse burnout: the impact of the physical health care environment. The machine learning model and coding are undergirded by a full literature review, and the results triangulated with nurse focus groups. This research strategy uncovered the intricate relationship between nurse burnout and environmental factors such as layout, ergonomics, sensory elements, restorative spaces and facility upkeep. Participate in this pivotal and engaging conversation as we discuss bridging the gap between research and practical application in health care design, crafting spaces with the potential to nurture those at the very heart of patient care.
Beyond Boundaries: Redefining Excellence in Emergency Services through Freestanding Emergency Departments
Thursday, September 26, 9:45am – 10:45am Central Time
Speakers: Colby Dearman, HKS Studio Practice Leader, Health; Priscilla Cuadra, HKS Medical Planner; Lelani O’Connell; HKS Advisory Services
Freestanding Emergency Departments (FSEDs) play a pivotal role in enabling health care providers to capture market share in communities lacking established hospitals. This discussion will cover the reasons a client would invest in FSEDs and offer a comprehensive understanding of the efficiencies and effectiveness of FSEDs in meeting the health care needs of their communities. Through project examples, speakers will share their perspectives, decisions, unique operational partnership opportunities and challenges experienced along the way.