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What patients and families teach HKS about designing better hospitals. HKS architects, designers and researchers have embedded themselves in communities for decades, gaining insights into what people want and need in their health care environments. Today, its health teams are building on that expert foundation with expanded methods of patient and family engagement. From town halls events and virtual surveys to advisory committee meetings and full-scale room mock-ups, these thoughtful, multifaceted strategies help HKS create environments that better support people at every step of their care journey. Three HKS hospital projects - Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's Children's Tower in Richmond, Va., the Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center new Dallas pediatric campus, and the John M. O'Quinn Hospital at Harris Health's Lyndon B. Johnson campus in Houston - exemplify why patient and family engagement is essential to designing hospitals that truly reflect and support the people they serve. Building trust with emotional safety and resonance. Patients and families want to feel seen, protected, and grounded in hospitals - places where the necessary urgency of care and the understandable concerns of parents and children are balanced with compassion and attentiveness. Prioritizing design that fosters emotional connection and safety can be a powerful way for health systems to build trust. At Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's (CHoR) Children's Tower, families wanted reassurance that staff and providers were nearby. This desire was most clearly defined by a parent who represented the hospital's Patient and Family Advisory Committee during development meetings about the inpatient wings. "She added that additional layer of what it's like to be a patient or family member in that space. She wanted to know that somebody was there... just to know that someone was keeping watch over her child," said HKS' Kate Renner, the architect and medical planner who led the project team. Taking feedback from both families and staff, HKS designed team workstations and conference rooms on patient floors with glass walls to support visual transparency, some with art panels that balance visibility and privacy. The team also created alcoves at patient room entrances with integral blinds that families can easily adjust based on their privacy needs. At the Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center new Dallas pediatric campus, the new 4.9-million-square-foot facility will feature 552 beds, making it one of the largest and most transformative pediatric hospitals in the nation. To ensure this vision meets the needs of those it serves, the project team "cast as wide a net as possible" to gather input from patients, families, and staff, said HKS's Caitlin Potter, a senior medical planner who is co-leading design of the inpatient units. Potter also played a leadership role in community engagement efforts for the project. One message came through clearly: families wanted design elements that create a greater sense of comfort and control. Through surveys, town hall events and Patient Family Advisory Network (PFAN) meetings, families noted opportunities to improve the traditional ensuite bathroom design to improve limited storage and assisting children with bathing. In response, the design team reconfigured bathrooms to offer two storage niches and relocated the shower zones for better access and safety. To further address family insights about limited control, rooms were designed with simple, intuitive options that give families greater control of lighting levels, window shades, TVs and personal device connectivity to increase autonomy. For Harris Health's John M. O'Quinn Hospital, located in an underserved area of Houston, the call for emotional safety was especially tied to dignity and trust. The team engaged more than 3,500 people via more than 91,000 touch points, all of which revealed a history of inequitable access to care, long waiting times and limited space - conditions the health system and project team were determined to change. "It opened my eyes... these individuals have not always had the right things done on their behalf," said HKS' Whitney Fuessel, Principal in Charge of the project. Fuessel said the project team and stakeholders co-developed a list of essential elements for the new hospital, which will primarily serve historically marginalized individuals, lower income patients and inmate population. Areas throughout the hospital will enable specialized attention that hasn't been possible in the past, such as a Women's Center that is a mother and baby unit with an integrated NICU and dedicated maternal emergency department. The project team also worked with the municipal transit system on a plan to reroute buses so patients can be dropped directly at the front door, reducing barriers to care and signaling respect and building trust from the moment someone arrives. Cultivating comfort with everyday elements. Patients and families can easily miss the comforts of everyday life during hospital stays. Design features that provide a sense of normalcy or routine and offer vibrant reflections of their community are common requests during HKS engagement activities. Everyday comforts help patients and families feel a sense of belonging in clinical environments that can otherwise feel unfamiliar or overwhelming. At CHoR's Children's Tower, which opened in 2023, children participated in selecting colors, themes and playful elements that would define their care environment. "We had one palette that was all blues, one that was multi-colored, and one that was more of a green palette. They 100% picked the bright, colorful one," said Renner, who worked with interior designers and architects to evolve the color schemes as design progressed. Children and family input at CHoR also influenced graphics that feature welcoming animal mascots and wayfinding features that differentiate floors and amenity spaces - touches that help families settle in and navigate the hospital with confidence. Engagement efforts for the Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center New Dallas Pediatric Campus yielded an important takeaway for the design team: don't change what's really working for people in existing facilities. For that hospital's population, one of those requests was to retain access to their favorite daily fuel. During the design discussions, one theme that consistently emerged was just how meaningful the coffee shop is to clinical staff, families, and visitors. With people coming through the campus around the clock, having reliable 24/7 access to coffee is something they truly value. "Many people emphasized 'Don't take away my coffee!'" Potter recounted. As a result, ensuring convenient access to coffee remains an important part of the plan. In surveys and meetings about the campus design, families also emphasized the importance of having places to step away, breathe, and reset. Outdoor terraces became essential components championed by the design team, so moments of respite that help people regulate emotions and reconnect with a sense of normalcy are easier to come by. At John M. O'Quinn Hospital in Houston, a sense of belonging and comfort will be deeply tied to cultural identity, community pride, and the local environment. The project team and leadership committed to featuring art created entirely by Harris County artists, ensuring that the hospital's walls tell the community's story, celebrate its people, history and resilience. "They wanted to see themselves reflected in the space," said Fuessel. "The art is not just for the waiting rooms or lobby; it's being placed everywhere so everyone gets to experience it." Fuessel said nature will also play central role in cultivating a comfortable atmosphere in the re-imagined Lyndon B. Johnson campus. An urban farm and orchard will be accessible and visible from the John M. O'Quinn Hospital, and a bioremediation garden will educate visitors about how plants can help restore the land. These elements are intended to uplift people and serve as a reminder that the hospital is unmistakably rooted in the community it serves. An essential part of the process. These projects demonstrate that when designers listen closely, patients and families reveal what truly matters to them in moments of vulnerability. The call for environments that provide emotional safety and daily reminders of home emerges clearly from its shared dialogue. HKS health teams deeply believe that engagement is not one step in the design process - it is the foundation of good design that transforms hospitals from clinical spaces into places of trust, dignity and human connection.

TMC, Memorial Hermann launch partnership to spur new patient care technologies. A new partnership will allow Memorial Hermann employees and physicians to participate in the TMC Center for Device Innovation. Photo via tmc.edu Texas Medical Center and Memorial Hermann Health System have launched a new collaboration for developing patient care technology. Through the partnership, Memorial Hermann employees and physicians will now be able to participate in the TMC Center for Device Innovation (CDI), which will assist them in translating product innovation ideas into working prototypes. The first group of entrepreneurs will pitch their innovations in early 2026, according to a release from TMC. "Memorial Hermann is excited to launch this new partnership with the TMC CDI," Ini Ekiko Thomas, vice president of information technology at Memorial Hermann, said in the news release. "As we continue to grow (a) culture of innovation, we look forward to supporting our employees, affiliated physicians and providers in new ways." Mentors from Memorial Hermann, TMC Innovation and industry experts with specialties in medicine, regulatory strategy, reimbursement planning and investor readiness will assist with the program. The innovators will also gain access to support systems like product innovation and translation strategy, get dedicated engineering and machinist resources and personal workbench space at the CDI. "The prototyping facilities and opportunities at TMC are world-class and globally recognized, attracting innovators from around the world to advance their technologies," Tom Luby, chief innovation officer at TMC Innovation Factor, said in the release. Memorial Hermann says the partnership will support its innovation hub's "pilot and scale approach" and hopes that it will extend the hub's impact in "supporting researchers, clinicians and staff in developing patentable, commercially viable products." "We are excited to expand our partnership with Memorial Hermann and open the doors of our Center for Device Innovation to their employees and physicians - already among the best in medical care," Luby added in the release. "We look forward to seeing what they accomplish next, utilizing our labs and gaining insights from top leaders across our campus."

Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care set to close Telfair location. Located on the far left corner of the Museum at Telfair complex, the space formerly occupied by Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care will soon be available and leasing officials are seeking a new tenant. (Courtesy Hunnington Properties) Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care is set to close its facility at the Museum of Telfair shops, Tooba Patoli, senior associate for leasing at Hunnington Properties LLC, confirmed. The closing comes as part of a strategic effort to optimize resources and better meet community needs, a Memorial Hermann Memorial representative said in an email. Patients can continue receiving care at nearby centers in Sugar Land at 20022 Southwest Freeway - which will extend its hours starting Dec. 14 - and Missouri City at 8035 Hwy. 6, Ste. 170, the representative said. "As a system, Memorial Hermann will continue partnering with GoHealth to advance our ultimate goal to create more value for patients and populations through our comprehensive network of care and services across Greater Houston," they said. GoHealth Urgent Care has partnered with 13 healthcare systems - including Memorial Hermann - across the country to establish over 400 centers, per the website. The provider takes most insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare, providing urgent care access to 50% of Americans, per the website. Hunnington Properties is seeking tenants in the medical or education industries to occupy the space when GoHealth's lease ends in February, Patoli said. The complex currently houses Aisha's Salon and Spa, Bahama Bucks, River Oaks Cleaners and Drew Carpet Cleaners, according to the respective websites. * Closing Dec. 20 * 1227 Museum Square Drive, Ste. A, Sugar Land * www.gohealthuc.com/memorialhermann/locations/telfair Valeria Escobar joined Community Impact in December 2024 as an education reporter in the Katy, Sugar Land and Missouri City area. Before joining CI, she worked as a reporter for a television news station in El Salvador and as an editor for her college newspaper, The Columbia Spectator. Wherever she is, Valeria could be found strolling through local museums or grabbing a bite at restaurants with promising reviews. Daily news about your community is free, and your support is invaluable. Give $10 now towards CI's journalistic mission across Texas.