Veterans Affairs (VA; Birmingham, Ala.) wanted to relocate and centralize mental health services from its downtown Birmingham, hospital into a new facility, while also freeing up space in its existing hospital for other services. The new 71,000-square-foot Birmingham East VA Clinic, opened in January, consolidates outpatient mental health services, including specialty clinics for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery, as well as group psychotherapy and psychiatry, day programs, suicide prevention, in-home intensive case management, healthcare

In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what’s got their attention and share some ideas on the subject. Asma Sanaee is a medical planner and associate with E4H Architecture and co-chair of the American Institute of Architects/Academy of Architecture for Health Research Initiatives Committee. Here she shares her thoughts on designing for flexibility, the medical hub model, and using design to support patient and clinician collaboration. Designing for efficiency In an healthcare

The emerging data on burnout among frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest a troubling future. For example, studies show half of healthcare providers report having considered retiring, quitting their jobs, or even changing careers altogether. The same number say that their mental health has deteriorated, according to the article “Survey of Healthcare Workers Reveals High Levels of Burnout, Stress, & Thoughts of Leaving Their Jobs,” from Berxi, a part of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance. While the pandemic has undeniably healthcare

Howard University (Washington, D.C.) is planning a replacement hospital on its campus in northwest Washington, D.C., according to an article in the Washington Business Journal. The $650 million, 600,000-square-foot teaching hospital will be operated by Adventist HealthCare (Gaithersburg, Md.) and will include 225 beds and a Level 1 trauma center. The project will receive $100 million in funding from the federal government, according to the article. Completion is slated for 2026 and the existing Howard hospital will close once the healthcare