Steelcase Health to Underwrite EDAC Certification
Steelcase Health to Underwrite Next Two Phases of Revolutionary Evidence-Based Healthcare Design Certification Program
Grand Rapids, Mich. – January 23, 2008 –Steelcase Health, a manufacturer of furniture for healthcare environments, and The Center for Health Design (CHD), a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, today announced a multi-year partnership to underwrite the next two phases of The Center’s Evidence-Based Design Assessment and Certification (EDAC) program.
The objective of the EDAC program is to educate and assess individuals on their understanding of how to base design decisions on available, credible evidence. The program will support all healthcare and design professionals who have direct responsibility for planning and designing buildings. An evidence-based practitioner makes decisions based on the best information available from research and project evaluations. The result is a higher-quality healthcare experience for patients, families, and staff members.
In 2005, CHD received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop EDAC and complete Phase I of the program, which focused on building the accreditation program for healthcare and design professionals. More than 100 volunteer healthcare and design experts from across the country have developed the foundation for the program, from which the examination is derived.
The next phase of the program, which Steelcase Health is supporting, will focus on the implementation of a communications plan and the development of a set of educational resources such as online study tools, practitioner communities, and a series of workshops.
“Steelcase Health is built on evidence-based design and research and we are happy to help further that philosophy by partnering with The Center for Health Design,” said Michael Love, president of Steelcase Health. “Steelcase Health believes that EDAC is a very important component to improving the design and functionality of healthcare spaces.”
“Years of research and an incredible amount of effort has gone into developing the base knowledge and examination for EDAC,” said Debra Levin, President and CEO of CHD. “Now, thanks to Steelcase Health’s generous support, we can bring this valuable educational tool to healthcare and design professionals worldwide.”
Evidence-based healthcare designs are used to create environments that are therapeutic, supportive of family involvement, efficient for staff performance, and restorative for workers under stress. An evidence-based practitioner makes decisions based on the best information available from research and project evaluations. The result is a higher-quality healthcare experience for patients, families, and staff members.
About Steelcase Health
Steelcase Health is a company focused on healthcare environments and how products in these environments can help make them more comfortable, efficient and conducive to the healing process. For more information, visit Health.
About The Center for Health Design (CHD)
The Center for Health Design(CHD), formed in 1993, is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization of forward-thinking healthcare, elder care, design and construction professionals, and product manufacturers who are leading the quest to improve the quality of healthcare facilities and create new environments for healthy aging. Its voluntary board of directors guides the work of paid staff that manages and directs the organization’s research, education, outreach, and advocacy efforts. For more information, visit www.healthdesign.org.
Contact
Aideen Doherty
616.248.7038
adoherty@steelcase.com
Michael Pflughoeft
414.270.7136
mpflughoeft@laughlin.com