The purpose of the award is to promote the importance of interior design research and contribute to the body of knowledge for healthcare interior design consistent with the mission of AAHID.  More details will follow shortly.  The award includes an all expense paid trip to present at the Healthcare Design Conference in 2009 which will be held October 31-November 3 in Orlando, FL. AAHID is both proud and delighted to have Nurture as a sponsor. 

Officials from the conference could immediately see that the originally designated room would not fit all the participants interested in the AAHID panel as conference attendees packed both the hallways and steps in attempt to gain entrance.  Once the venue was moved, everyone was comfortable and dozens of questions were submitted to the panel which will be posted very soon to this website.  The Panel which consisted of Jean Hansen, FIIDA, CID, LEED AP, AAHID, Jeff Trogolo, Ph.D., Helen Kerr, IDSA and Gloria Cascarino was adroitly moderated by Andrea V. Hyde, ASID, AAHID, MDCID.

Please check back often for updates on this cutting edge, important presentation. 

AAHID will sponsor “The Event” - many surprises await during out once in a lifetime party at Gadsby’s Tavern, which was the site of Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration and was George Washington’s favorite eating establishment!

AAHID will hold its annual breakfast on Sunday morning which recognizes our Industry Partners and informs interested parties on the state of our organization.

Following the breakfast we will sponsor a panel discussion on the “challenges for interior materials” featuring Jean Hansen, AAHID, FIIDA, CID, LEED AP and Andrea Hyde AAHID, ASID among others.

Finally on Sunday afternoon, AAHID will sponsor an “exam workshop” with useful information for submitting their credentials and preparing for the Credentialing Exam.

The Challenge
Describe your most challenging healthcare art project and how you solved it.

The Prize
A signed-copy of Jain Malkin’s essential new book - A Visual Reference for Evidence-Based Design. A $200 value. To read my review of the book click here.

What is needed to win
Write a paragraph or two, no more than 500 words, describing your most challenging healthcare art project and how you solved it. Email the text to me at henry@henrydomke.com

Who is eligible
Anyone on the planet involved in the use of art in healthcare.

When is the deadline
All entries must be received by Wednesday October 15th, 2008.

Who is judging the contest?
Me (Henry Domke)

Note: it helps if you have a snapshot showing the installation, but that is not required.

The winners will be featured on the website: www.HealthCareFineArt.com

Copper Approved by EPA As Antimicrobial
Apr 1, 2008

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the registration of naturally antimicrobial copper alloys as a supplement to standard preventative measures in eliminating specific disease-causing bacteria. The Copper Development Association says copper is the first solid surface material to receive this type of EPA registration, which is supported by extensive antimicrobial efficacy testing. Independent laboratory tests confirmed that copper alloys eliminate more than 99.9% of bacterial contamination within two hours of exposure. 317 copper alloys were registered as antimicrobial materials that kill disease-causing bacteria. Copper, including brass and bronze, proved to be particularly effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. “Now that the EPA has granted copper official status as an antimicrobial agent, we have only scratched the surface of possible copper applications directly targeted at improving public health,” said Warren Bartel, senior vice-president and senior advisor for copper supplier Luvata Group. “When considering the cost of preventative measures or treatment for these diseases, copper may likely become the low cost, environmentally friendly solution.” Cleaning a surface does not eliminate all bacteria. Copper alloys, however, continually eliminate bacteria. The intrinsic antimicrobial properties of copper alloys cannot wear off or be removed. Homogeneous and solid copper alloys therefore provide a lifetime of efficacy and durability. Copper alloys are the first and only commercially available solid-surface material with EPA public health registration, allowing manufacturers to claim antimicrobial efficacy. The registration permits the marketing of antimicrobial copper alloy products with public health claims and was granted to the Copper Development Association (CDA) based on tests conducted at a laboratory working under EPA-approved Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). Starting with 3,000 copper alloy samples of copper, cartridge brass, phosphor bronze, copper nickel and nickel silver, the EPA tested each sample’s efficacy as a sanitizer, its residual self-sanitizing activity, and its continuous reduction of bacterial contaminants. The EPA confirmed efficacy of all three test.

Linda has over 24 years of professional design experience, with the last 19 dedicated to acute care and ambulatory healthcare design. Through hands-on collaboration with patients, families, staff, and artists, Linda is able to create environments that strengthen the hospital’s ability to provide true family-centered care, and support the needs of diverse socio-economic backgrounds, cultures and age groups.  She can be found under the “Find A Designer” link above. 

How can I access the draft and the comment system?
Go to www.fgiguidelines.org and click on “Guidelines Revisions” in the column on the left side of the Web site. The draft is immediately available. You must register (create a profile) to make a comment or view the comments of others.

What kind of file is the draft 2010 document provided in?
The files are all protected Word files that should be easily downloaded and saved to any inquirer’s computer.

Who can comment on the draft document?
Anyone can register for the comment site, which will allow individuals to submit comments and also to view and give opinions on the comments of others.

How do I create a comment?
The 2 most efficient ways to create a comment are these:
1. Paste text from the draft manuscript directly into the comment system and edit there, using the format buttons available on the site.
2. Paste text from the draft manuscript into Word and edit it with the Track Changes feature turned on. Then, TURNING TRACK CHANGES OFF (this is important), paste the text into the comment system.

My comment wasn’t submitted; what did I do wrong?
Common errors: forgetting to select a comment type, specify a chapter, give a section number, or include a substantiation for your comment (this should explain why the committee should accept your comment).

Format
On-line instruction with no on-site campus visits required.

Curriculum
All courses aligned with requirements of the Graduate School and the School of Human Sciences at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Specialized healthcare courses aligned with the healthcare interior design body of knowledge as identified by the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers.

Course Topics for 30-hour Degree (Thesis Option)
Long-term care/senior living facilities (3 credit hours)
Ambulatory/outpatient care facilities (3 credit hours)
Acute care facilities (3 credit hours)
Other medical facilities (3 credit hours)
Design studio (3 credit hours)
Internship (3 credit hours)
Research methods (3 credit hours)
Data analysis (3 credit hours)
Thesis research (3 credit hours)
Thesis writing (3 credit hours)

Course Topics for 3-hour Degree (Non-Thesis Option)
Long-term care/senior living facilities (3 credit hours)
Ambulatory/outpatient care facilities (3 credit hours)
Acute care facilities (3 credit hours)
Other medical facilities (3 credit hours)
Design studio (3 credit hours)
Internship (3 credit hours)
Research methods (3 credit hours)
Data analysis (3 credit hours)
Advanced lighting (3 credit hours)
Student-selected courses in area of interest (9 credit hours)

Open comment continues until December 15.

It is on page 13 of the attached guide.  It is interesting how the use of the term is growing, and not necessarily in the way it is defined in healthcare design.

A graduate emphasis in health care interior design will be available beginning fall 2008 at Stephen F. Austin State University. The 30-credit-hour curriculum aligns with certification content identified by the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers. Topics will address facility design for long-term care/senior living, ambulatory and outpatient care, acute care, retail/hospitality spaces, support services and other medical applications. For more information, mperritt@sfasu.edu. 

Obesity in US Adults, BRFSS, 2007
No state met the Healthy People 2010 goal of 15% adult obesity

Obesity is a significant public health problem with serious implications for the health and well-being of the American public (1). The Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) national health objectives include one to reduce the proportion of adults who are obese to 15% (objective 19-2) (1). Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. BMI is calculated using height and weight. For example, a 5-foot, 9-inch adult who weighs 203 pounds would have a BMI of 30, thus putting this person into the obese category.
This analysis estimated the 2007 obesity prevalence among adults, by state, from self-reported weight and height data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). No state met the Healthy People 2010 objective of 15% and 30 states were 10 or more percentage points away from the objective. State-specific obesity prevalence ranged from 18.7% to 32.0%.
Among 2007 BRFSS respondents:
• 25.6% were obese.
• 26.4% of men were obese and 24.8% of women
• The obesity prevalence ranged from 19.1% for men and women aged 18--29 years to 31.7% and 30.2%, respectively, for men and women aged 50--59 years.
• By race/ethnicity and sex the obesity prevalence was highest for non-Hispanic black women (39.0%) followed by non-Hispanic black men (32.1%).
• The obesity prevalence was higher in the South (27.3%) and Midwest (26.5%) and lower in the Northeast (24.4%) and West (23.1%)


2007 State Obesity Rates
State % State % State % State %
Alabama 30.3 Illinois 24.9 Montana 21.8 Rhode Island 21.4
Alaska 27.5 Indiana 26.8 Nebraska 26.0 South Carolina 28.4
Arizona 25.4 Iowa 26.9 Nevada 24.1 South Dakota 26.2
Arkansas 28.7 Kansas 26.9 New Hampshire 24.4 Tennessee 30.1
California 22.6 Kentucky 27.4 New Jersey 23.5 Texas 28.1
Colorado 18.7 Louisiana 29.8 New Mexico 24.0 Utah 21.8
Connecticut 21.2 Maine 24.8 New York 25.0 Vermont 21.3
Delaware 27.4 Maryland 25.4 North Carolina 28.0 Virginia 24.3
Washington DC 21.8 Massachusetts 21.3 North Dakota 26.5 Washington 25.3
Florida 23.6 Michigan 27.7 Ohio 27.5 West Virginia 29.5
Georgia 28.2 Minnesota 25.6 Oklahoma 28.1 Wisconsin 24.7
Hawaii 21.4 Mississippi 32.0 Oregon 25.5 Wyoming 23.7
Idaho 24.5 Missouri 27.5 Pennsylvania 27.1

CDC conducts obesity prevention programs and activities in many different settings and with a wide range of partners, including state and local health and education departments and communities across the country. For example, as part of CDC’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases, the Washington State implemented a community intervention that promotes environmental and policy changes to help encourage healthful nutrition and physical activity behavior. Changes include widening sidewalks, connecting systems of paths for pedestrians and cyclists in a community, and creating community gardens.
CDC also works with employers and work-site health experts to translate evidence-based recommendations from the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (2) on work-site interventions for preventing obesity into business practice. One product from this collaboration will include a return on investment cost calculator to assist businesses in making the case for initiation and maintenance of wellness programs, especially those that promote weight management. In addition, an interactive website will provide guidance for the creation, expansion or customization of work-site obesity programs. These tools and products will enable employers to more easily implement the evidenced-based recommendations.
References:
1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010 (conference ed, in 2 vols). Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2000. Available at: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
2. CDC. Public health strategies for preventing and controlling overweight and obesity in school and worksite settings: a report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. MMWR 2005;54(RR-10):1--12.
Data Source:
State-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2007. MMWR, 2008;57(28):765-768. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5728a1.htm.
For More Information:
• CDC Overweight and Obesity
• Obesity Trend Data
• State-Based Programs

The Vendome Group announces a 30% discount on all Healthcare Design Webinars on CD for summer.  Some very interesting titles…

Prevent migrating contaminants through the use of these products.