ASHE PDC Summit addresses health care facilities' biggest challenges

More than 3,000 attended the International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) March 12–15 to get the latest information to help health care facility professionals meet the ongoing challenges in the field.

The theme of the Summit, “Flexibility for the Future,” was a recurring subject of educational sessions and presentations, reflecting the fact that while hospitals and health systems offer the best care possible, they also are grappling with a host of issues.

Educational sessions addressed a range of topics including saving energy by optimizing building systems, best practices in energy procurement, successful conversion of a vacant retail space and a children’s ambulatory care clinic.   

The panel discussion titled “Overcoming National Challenges in the Health Care Built Environment” featured facility professionals and hospital leaders from some of the most prominent health systems in the nation who addressed current and future issues facing the field.

Key among those challenges were how to replace aging infrastructure in facilities built 40 years ago and more ,and the need to encourage young people to enter the health facility profession amid an aging workforce nearing retirement.

Nearly 300 exhibitors at the trade show displayed the latest in health care facility products and services and consistently drew large crowds.

The Summit also provided an opportunity to recognize excellence in the health facility field for creativity, innovation and planning with the announcement of the 2017 winners of the prestigious Vista awards. Those honored include:

• UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, San Francisco — new construction
• Memorial Hospital at Gulfport (Miss.) patient tower — renovation project
• St. Joseph’s Hospital, Syracuse, N.Y. — infrastructure project

The teams recognized made it a priority to minimize the disruption of patients during construction, which enhanced the patient experience. Each winning team exemplified teamwork in all stages of their respective health care projects, from preplanning to the finished project.

Bronson Methodist Hospital received the 2017 Legacy Project Award from the American College of Healthcare Architects.

Health care consultant Jamie Orlikoff, president, of Orlikoff Associates Inc., Chicago, gave a succinct and oftentimes humorous presentation on the state of national health care and how it reached the point where it now represents more thanb 18 percent of the nation’s GDP.

Keynote speaker Ann Compton, retired White House correspondent with "ABC News," shared a glimpse into her experiences of covering seven presidents for network TV.

The Summit collaborators were the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association, the American Institute of Architects' Academy of Architecture for Health, the American College of Healthcare Architects and the Facilty Guidelines Institute.