Headshot credit: Svigals + Partners
In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to share their ideas and what has their attention.
Take 5 With Svigals + Partners’ Doug Lovegren
Doug Lovegren, a partner at Svigals + Partners (New York), a full-service architecture firm, provides insights into holistic healthcare, repurposing underutilized buildings as community health centers, and school-based clinics.
- Holistic healthcare
One-stop healthcare facilities are designed for convenience and comprehensive care for patients while promoting provider collaboration. Facilities are now strategically merging the treatment of comorbidities, such as methadone clinics alongside dental care and behavioral health treatment.
- Repurposing underutilized buildings as community health centers
Revitalizing underutilized buildings into state-of-the-art health centers reduces waste associated with demolition and consumption of new construction’s resources. An example is the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center Clinic in West Haven, Conn., where a former funeral home was converted into an inviting and easily accessible community clinic.
- Technical advancements
Technology is crucial in closing the health equity gap in communities and rural America by improving the access and delivery of healthcare. Telemedicine and wearable devices enable widespread access to quality healthcare services.
- Engaging art and inviting design
Engaging art and inviting interior designs are essential to healing environments that promote well-being and reduce stress. Biophilic designs and local artwork contribute to a more inclusive environment. Local artwork also acknowledges diverse backgrounds, contributing to a more inclusive environment.
- School-based health centers
School-based health centers provide various primary care and preventive health services for students, faculty, staff, and the broader community, reducing health-related barriers to learning and helping to set them on an early path toward adopting healthy behaviors.
