Milwaukee, WI (April 15, 2009) — More than 125 healthcare design leaders from throughout the United States will convene in Milwaukee from April 20 to April 22 to discuss new ideas and research about innovative building design that improves care quality. Hosted by Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, the Pebble Partners Colloquium will include presentations of three evidence-based design projects at the Froedtert & The Medical College Clinical Cancer Center and a tour of the Clinical Cancer Center, which opened last May.
The three-day, private “think tank” session brings together participants in the California-based Center for Health Design’s Pebble Project research program, which was founded in 2000 to encourage building design that measurably improves the quality of care.
John Balzer, vice president of facility planning and design for Froedtert & Community Health, was instrumental in bringing the Pebble Partners Colloquium to Milwaukee.
“Froedtert Hospital was among the first to join the Pebble Project initiative,” said Balzer. “We believe in evidence-based medicine so it’s logical to carry that conviction through to building design that can have a positive, measurable impact on patient care.”
The Pebble Projects currently under way at the Clinical Cancer Center focus on three key areas:
- The Interdisciplinary or “Hub” Care Model
- The Day Hospital
- The Quality of Life Center
These innovative approaches will be measured to judge whether they affect care quality and patient satisfaction.
In addition to touring the Clinical Cancer Center, attendees at the three-day event also will be able to tour Froedtert Hospital’s new North Tower addition; Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s west tower expansion; and St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend, which has received national recognition for care quality and patient safety features in its design.