Great efforts are in place to minimize the spread of infection in healthcare environments and the world of healthcare design can help improve these efforts even more.

Healthcare Design magazine ran a very interesting article recently stating: “Earlier this year as the World Health Organization was declaring that the countries hit hardest by Ebola—Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone—had zero reported cases for at least 42 days, another infectious disease was making daily headlines around the globe: Zika virus. At times like these, it’s easy for infectious disease control to be a hot topic among healthcare providers and designers.”

The article quotes Jon Crane, director of translational health sciences at HDR (Atlanta). In the piece he says the problem is that once the headlines dwindle, the conversations tend to go away, too—but the threats still persist and need to be addressed. “Infectious diseases are here to stay,” he says. “Being prepared is better than not being prepared.” Crane says that every healthcare provider is at risk for someone who’s traveled outside the U.S. and picked up a virus to walk into an emergency department or hospital.

We collaborate with healthcare professionals pre-construction, long before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. We partner every step – from blueprints to the finishing touches. By adopting preventative practices, healthcare facilities can avoid many problems from arising and mitigate any oversights that, to rectify after the fact, can be difficult and costly both in terms of money and life.

Forward-thinking leaders in the healthcare industry recognize the value of employing dedicated professionals (including highly-skilled vendors) to decrease infections and increase safety.