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.” 

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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.

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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.
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