Healthcare Design - February 2017 - 34

The

Center

A H O S P I TA L G R O W S
IN BROOKLYN
Industry leaders gathered to define what a
community hospital and the services provided
might look like for an evolving neighborhood
By Debra Levin and Carolyn Glaser

Council recently
asked The Center for Health Design to bring together
a small, diverse group of industry leaders to help plant
the seeds for a potential new hospital to break ground
in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the next few years. The location is
in a section of the Manhattan borough that has a very
diverse community, both economically and ethnically-from the ultra-orthodox Satmar Hasidic Jews and
the ultra-hip 20-somethings to the very wealthy and those struggling below the poverty line. Multiple hospitals already in the area are struggling financially, and with poor health outcomes in some cases, so the opportunity
is ripe to help create the next generation of healthcare that can contribute
to Brooklynites' quality of life today and well into the future.
The Center assembled a group of 13 professionals with backgrounds in
architecture, interior design, hospital administration, research, building
codes, technology, and sustainability to spend three days in Brooklyn thinking about what an idealized future of healthcare could be. The group started
by looking at the big picture with discussions ranging from the types of services that should be provided to the role a healthcare institution could play in
a community's health, and then drilled down into how to answer the specific
needs of these residents. On day two, the group focused on some key questions, including the types of services to be provided, how the hospital would be connected to the
THE GROUP SAW AN
greater community, its need to change over time,
OPPORTUNITY TO
and the ultimate design of the facility.
The group determined that the new hospital
REDEFINE THE NORMAL
will be a central source for primary care, ambuCHILDBIRTH EXPERIENCE.
latory specialty care, acute care, rehabilitation,
and support services for continuing and endof-life care. As such, it will need to reach into the community to provide
programs that encourage healthy behaviors and compliance with healthcare treatments. Synergistic programs will also be established at schools,
synagogues, restaurants, etc., that will support both the hospital and related neighborhood programs. In this way, the hospital can create and
sustain a culture of health for residents.
Additionally, the group identified some key themes to drive the design
and development of the facility, including:
Respite. The goal is to provide a hospitality-focused facility with spaces
that allow patients to recover for seven to 14 days following treatment or
after having a baby, especially given that many mothers may be returning
home to large families with many children. These spaces should be customizable according to patient type and needs.
Obstetrics. The group saw an opportunity to redefine the normal childbirth experience to become a celebration of life by providing customizable

HE BROOKLYN MEDICAL Relations

FEBRUARY 2017

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

spaces for mothers in the delivery room. These
spaces must accommodate large groups since
many in the orthodox Jewish community have
large families of six to 12 children. Additionally,
mothers should be allowed to enter the respite
space post-delivery. Freestanding birthing centers associated with the hospital are another
consideration as well as in-home monitoring preand post-delivery.
Mixed-use development. Providing services that
go beyond the delivery of clinical care is important. Opportunities for mixed-use development
can attract synergistic retail spaces ranging from
day spas and child care to eyeglass shops and
bodegas offering healthy food-all serving the
community as a whole as well as staff, patients, and
visitors. Additional opportunities include space
for children's playgrounds or access to gardens as
well as community services and activities that educate individuals about healthy behaviors.
Inpatient care. Rooms should be as flexible as
possible with an emphasis on family accommodations and patient control of the experience,
such as food delivery choices and music, temperature, and lighting controls.
Population health. The activities and services of
the new hospital should be based on existing and
future demographic analysis of the population being served. It will be critical to define existing and
anticipated technologies that will provide realtime data to health professionals to develop preventive measures to influence health.
Behavioral health. The creation of a "life-balance center" where people focus on healthy lifestyle changes and are provided the services and
resources to support them in maintaining that
balance would be integrated into primary care
services. Therapy spaces should also be provided
for all behavioral health conditions, such as substance abuse, which often aren't acknowledged
or addressed early enough.
A full report was created for the client and
will be available for others to glean information
from and add to in order to further envision a
picture of idealized health for their communities. For a list of the project participants, go to
HCDmagazine.com/center-brooklyn. 
Debra Levin is president and CEO of The Center for
Health Design. She can be reached at D L E V I N @
H E A L T H D E S I G N . O R G . Carolyn Glaser is vice
president for strategy and operations at The Center. She
can be reached at C G L A S E R @ H E A LT H D E S I G N . O R G .

http://www.HCDmagazine.com/center-brooklyn http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM

Healthcare Design - February 2017

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