Academy of Architecture for Health

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The Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) provides knowledge which supports the design of healthy environments by creating education and networking opportunities for members of – and those touched by – the health care architectural profession.

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COVID-19 resources for health care design

You can contribute information to the AIA COVID-19 project database, and view all submitted projects. Visit the Alternative Care Sites preparedness site to learn important areas to evaluate when selecting ACSs for the care and treatment of COVID-19 or surge capacity patients.

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  • 1.  The Health Care Situation

    Posted 03-23-2017 06:13 PM
    Whomever it may concern,
         I spent forty years in health care working for the very best health care architectural firms and health care development corporations in this country.  The architectural firm of Gresham and Smith in Nashville, Tennessee, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Hospital Affiliates Development Corporation (HADC) and my own firm for seven years doing mostly health care work.  HADC was an international health care developer and I was privileged to design projects in nine foreign countries.  All foreign projects were done in countries that had some form of socialized medicine.
         I retired from active practice in 2003 and in 2008 I was jared out of my rocking chair with the announcement in Washington that the people of this country would be better served with a socialized form of health care.  I have spent hundreds of hours of research, contemplation and creative thinking to "design" a health care system that would take the place of Obamacare and correct the problems we have today with our government regulated, inefficient and costly health care system.  I have met with top health care people in Congress and worked with the Heritage Foundation's top health care people.  I've also been a member of the Heritage Foundation and their sister organization Heritage Action for seven years.
         The reason I'm writing you is to peek your interest in getting your organization and architectural firms that are involved in the health care to step up and start offering creative designs that will house future health care services.  I know that will be an impossible task if we wait on Washington to come up with a good health care plan but what is needed are creative ideas from our profession and from those that provide our health care to come up with something that will provide "good health care" to our people.  
         The old standards of mega hospitals centers of excellence, independent general hospitals, clinics, outpatient services, independent doctor offices and a myriad of other health care services are not going to survive what is needed in the future.  Technological advances are changing the whole landscape of health care and many of the old building types are going to be obsolete.  What I learned about the health care industry is that changes in health care generate work for the architectural and construction industry.  Since changes in health care occur every day our industry should be busier than a one armed paper hanger.
         If we allow the government to control health care all the "changes" will occur under mandates that the industry has no control over.  If these changes occur under private sector and free market conditions, these changes will happen over time, attrition and buyouts.  I think the architectural profession could offer some really good design solutions that would help direct our future health care system.
                                                                                                           What do you think?  James V. Burnette AIA