Future-Proofing Emergency Departments: Adaptable Environments for Supporting Community Crises
2023-AAH05
Included in subscription
1.00
LU|HSW
4.32
Course expires on: 05/30/2026
Included in subscription
Description
Emergency Departments (ED) can be instantaneously overwhelmed, requiring resilient, adaptable, and flexible solutions of the built environment. Like many healthcare organizations, UC Health, an academic medical organization located in Cincinnati, Ohio, experienced major space challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic on-set and peak. This scenario, and others that ED’s are faced with, can be better supported by innovative uses of non-clinical environments on campus. In this presentation, we will demonstrate solutions applied to an adjacent space to the renovated ED at University of Cincinnati Medical Center that provides added social distanced seating for the entire campus, accommodates separate entries to avoid cross-contaminating infectious and non-infectious presenters, activates additional patient care environments supporting the ED proper, and integrates security and safety measures for all in high-stress, potentially dangerous situations. UC Health has received congressional funding for this project through the CARES (Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act as it will benefit the readiness of the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Cincinnati to better serve the community with a future-proof, resilient facility. Upon completion, the space activation methodologies will be folded into regional readiness training for emergency scenarios and serve as an example of the future of Level 1 Trauma Centers.
Hosted by the Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH).
Course expires 5/29/2026
Learning Objectives
Learn the beneficial ways that a flexible space adjacent to the Emergency Department can future-proof for emergency situations at a Level 1 Trauma Center.
Understand how to meet programmatic needs of multiple uses while achieving safety requirements set forth by local and national Authority Having Jurisdictions (AHJs).
Explore how to engage various stakeholders in the development of a unique space type with flexible functionality, that addresses the health and safety of patients, care providers and the general public.
Learn innovative materiality and building system solutions to support the operational and safety goals and priorities of the project.
This session was recorded live on July 11, 2023.
Maria Friday has been in the Emergency Management world for over a decade and servers as UC Health’s director of Emergency Management, overseeing the health system’s response at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, West Chester Hospital, Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care and all of the ambulatory sites. Maria is integral to how UC Health responds and plans for the unknown and unexpected. She was an integral champion in the planning and design of the new project that will provide vital flexibility for UC Health's future emergency management response.
As a healthcare planner, with a background in interior design, Ellen works closely with clients and users to distill their needs into practical and implementable solutions. She has always been passionate about the healthcare market and earned her Master of Health Administration from Webster University in St. Louis soon after earning her Bachelors degree in Interior Design. Her proficiency in analyzing projects spatially and operationally assists clients in achieving business-related goals in new or renovated space, while crafting optimal patient experiences during the most intimate and delicate times in their lives. Ellen’s portfolio includes technically complex projects that serve a multitude of stakeholders, allowing her the unique opportunity to empathize through design with all who find themselves in the healthcare setting.
Brian co-leads the CannonDesign St. Louis Healthcare practice. He is well versed in Strategic Planning, Conceptual Planning, Healthcare Operations, Programming, and Cost Estimating. His background as an Architect, combined with his experience as a healthcare planner allows him serve as a translator between technical teams and the clinical user groups who are focused on hospital operations and functionality. He has a true passion and finds great enjoyment in working with clients, clinical users and consultants. He is a graduate of the CannonDesign's Healthcare Fellowship which is an 18-month immersion focused on healthcare planning, strategy, and leadership.