End-of-life oasis
Facility: Willson Hospice House
Location: Albany, Ga.
Interior design: Perkins + Will
The Willson Hospice House, located in Albany, Ga., is distinctive for many reasons. A residential facility for terminally ill patients and their families, Willson serves the 25-year-old hospice program of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany and the 11-county area of southwest Georgia.
It is special for other reasons, too. Willson is the first and only health care facility in the world designated an Audubon International Silver Signature Sanctuary for its care in establishing sustainable resource management. It also recently achieved LEED Silver certification.
Access to nature is an important part of the Willson Hospice's stress-relieving care for terminally ill patients; the project was planned from its inception to be an ecological oasis. More than 80 percent of the building's spaces are directly daylit, and more than 90 percent have exterior views into the landscape.
Willson's 210-acre site was carefully developed to preserve perimeter wetlands, and create a series of gardens and walking trails through the natural forest of dogwoods, pines and oaks.
To submit a Last Detail case for consideration, please contact senior editor Jeff Ferenc at jferenc@healthforum.com.
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