Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News

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Architecture and Design Firm Opens Office in Pittsburgh

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Brings on Washington Health System, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Allegheny Health Network as clients  

DesignGroup, an architecture and design firm located in Columbus, Ohio, is expanding by opening an office in Nova Place on the North Shore of Pittsburgh. The firm is excited to bring 45 years of architecture, design and planning experience to the market in the areas of healthcare, education, mixed-use, civic and library spaces.

“We value our clients and enjoy being inspired by them and what they do,” said Sherm Moreland, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP BD+C, DesignGroup CEO. “This office will allow us to deliver the highest level of design excellence with a local presence for our existing Pennsylvania clients as well as our new relationships with Washington Health System, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Allegheny Health Network.”

DesignGroup brings the concept of client-focused architecture to each project and each relationship. Each team includes working principals ensuring every project benefits from the architectural expertise of veteran staff. The new office will open March 15, and the team is ready to hit the ground running. The first hire, project manager Tom Chidlow, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a Pittsburgh native who brings a wealth of healthcare experience to the DesignGroup team. The Pittsburgh office continues to grow under his leadership. [Read more…]

Indoor Open Water Features:  An Element of the Past

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Christy LedererBy Christy Lederer, NCIDQ, EDAC 

In healthcare environments, designers seek to create a soothing atmosphere that brings in elements from nature.  We do this through choice of palette and materials as well as space planning, furniture selection, fabrics and artwork. In the past few years, open water features have also been included in design plans to heighten this feeling of tranquility. However, this feature has come under scrutiny because of some issues associated with them, such as problems with maintenance and infection control.

Hospital infection-control departments have particularly become concerned because an open water feature could hold “microorganisms that may cause nosocomial infections due to inhalation of aerosolized bacteria such as Legionella,” according to a 2006 article by Anjali Joseph, PhD and published by The Center for Health Design. 

In fact, there have been reported cases of Legionnaire’s disease outbreaks related to water features in hospitals. A study published last year in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology cites a case from 2010 in which a Wisconsin hospital had an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease that “was tied to eight patients who spent time near a decorative fountain in a hospital’s main lobby. Environmental testing found amounts of Legionnaire’s disease in samples collected from the water wall fountain.” The report says that after time the patients recovered from the disease and “no additional outbreaks occurred after the fountain, according to the study.” 

[Read more…]

Pennsylvania – Contrasts and Challenges

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Tom Demko_Stante_cropped.Lessons learned from the VA

By Tom Demko

Pennsylvania is the 6th most populous state in the nation with over 12 million residents, and an economy that ranks 6th in the United States in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  While broad statistics like this make our state look comparatively strong and competitive, Pennsylvania has a unique demographic profile that challenges healthcare delivery.

According to the World Bank, both the world population in general, and US population specifically, are trending toward an urban bias – with 17% of the US population living in rural communities in 2012, down from 20% in 2002. However, Pennsylvania has a rural population of 3.5 million – or about 27% of its population, a 2% increase in the same 10 year period. In contrast to demographic trends that number is projected to climb through 2030 by another 3%. Pennsylvania has the largest rural population in the country.

[Read more…]

IKM New Member of Prestigious Healthcare Research and Advisory Company

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John Schrott

John Schrott

By Daniel Casciato

IKM Incorporated architects, the Pittsburgh-based architecture, planning and interior design firm, recently joined a research membership program of The Advisory Board Company, a Washington, D.C. based research, technology and consulting organization primarily utilized by healthcare organizations to identify trends, provide market analyses, and augment resources for strategy development.  Ninety percent (90%) of the top 100 hospitals are members.

The Advisory Board Company was founded in 1979 and has grown into a global firm employing more than 2,200 people in nine offices on three continents. The Advisory Board is respected by the industry as a leader in developing tools that benefit the advancement of effective and efficient delivery of Healthcare services.

IKM will become a member of the Health Care Industry Committee’s research membership program for architecture firms, contributing their expertise to the already accomplished group of more than 60 architecture firms participating in the membership. Through the membership, IKM will be granted access to key tools to succeed in today’s complex health care environment.
[Read more…]

A Guide to Managing the Off-Campus Facility Move

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Marisa Manley--President--CTRRBy Marisa Manley

There is a strong trend among hospitals and medical/healthcare complexes to move high-demand healthcare services, such as urgent care, ambulatory care, and primary care, to smaller, dispersed, easily accessible locations.

An off-campus facility can be a branch or affiliate of the hospital or leased by the hospital to doctors who operate the site as independent practitioners.  Often, a portion of the facility, such as an urgent care center, is branded and operated by the hospital.

Here is a guide to planning and managing an off-campus move.

Why move off campus?

An off-campus move can help increase patient counts, build market share, and improve visibility among prospective patients.  A hospital may put a facility in a community to increase the hospital’s visibility and provide needed services.  When patients use the facility, they think well of the hospital and return in the future.  In addition, the ambulatory care facility may become an entry point for services which reside in the hospital – either because they are more specialized or because they require in-patient care.
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Expansion of Mental Health Facility among Upgrades at Beckley VA Medical Center Campus

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AE Works to lead design efforts that target expansion of the Medical Center’s outpatient mental health support facility

Pittsburgh-headquartered architectural and engineering firm, AE Works was recently awarded a contract to provide design and engineering services to expand existing mental health support operations on the Beckley VA Medical Center campus.

Located in the heart of southern West Virginia, the Beckley VA Medical Center, a general medical and surgical facility with long-term care services, provides vital healthcare services to more than 38,000 Veterans living throughout an 11-county area.    Critical to supporting delivery of outpatient mental healthcare services, this new addition will expand the existing facility with 15,000-SF slated for much needed office and administrative spaces.  With services currently partially housed in temporary space, the new building will provide this important program with permanent facilities and a seamless space solution to support the delivery of counseling and outreach services.

[Read more…]

Baldwin Health Center Offers Quick Recovery With Opening of Advance 360 Progressive Rehabilitation Center

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With harsh winter weather conditions creating icy sidewalks and parking lots, not all senior citizens will escape dangerous slips and falls. According to the CDC, among older adults, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries. About half (53%) of the older adults who are discharged for fall-related hip fractures will experience another fall with in six months.

CommuniCare Health Services uses top-of-the-line equipment to help victims of winter slips and falls get home quicker. The grand opening of Baldwin Health Center’s Advance 360 Progressive Rehabilitation Center was held on Thursday, January 16, from 4:00–7:30 p.m., at Baldwin Health Center, 1717 Skyline Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15227. The Advance 360 center offers patients outstanding therapy with the help of state-of-the-art rehab technology, including:

  • Korebalance System – a computerized balance and exercise system offering the latest in virtual and interactive technology providing a high-tech way for balance assessment and training.
  • OmniVR – the world’s first virtual rehabilitation system designed specifically for the needs of geriatric patients and more medically complex conditions.
  • Omnicycle Elite Motorized Rehabilitation System – supports expanded therapy services for neurological rehabilitation, orthopedic rehabilitation and cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation.
  • AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmills – developed at NASA, AlterG’s technology offers precise body weight reduction and comfortable support, allowing seniors to exercise in a fall-safe, comfortable environment and recover from surgery, rehabilitate after an injury, or maintain exercise, while eliminating pain and protecting healing tissue.

Baldwin   Baldwin_1

Rich Valentic, Executive Director of Baldwin Health Center, says, “Hopefully, accidents or setbacks do not occur, but when they do, our state-of-the-art facility, world-class care and people make a difference.”

One of the largest facilities within the CommuniCare Family of Companies, Advance 360, a progressive rehabilitation center, includes a dedicated advanced therapy gym and fitness center.  The department is open seven days a week, offering comprehensive rehabilitation including physical, occupational and speech therapies.

For more information about Advance 360, call 330.807.6281 or visit communicarehealth.com.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, CommuniCare Family of Companies is a privately held, multi-faceted health care management company. Centers are independently owned and operated as a part of the CommuniCare Family of Companies. Currently, CommuniCare owns and manages numerous world-class nursing and rehabilitation centers, specialty care centers and assisted living communities throughout Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Maryland. For more information, visit communicarehealth.com.

CommuniCare Advance 360 from Studiothink on Vimeo.