On Monday, May 17, members of the American College of Healthcare Architects met in the Orlando offices of Perkins+Will for the inaugural meeting of the ACHA-Florida to catalyze the 12 active members from across the State of Florida around state-wide initiatives. The participants from Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa were energized, and have formed a plan to advance four key programs. While the market focus of this group relates to healthcare design, the broader mission is asserting our profession into roles of leadership and influence regarding policy decisions and the value proposition of best architectural practices. The key areas of focus are: Education with client groups, schools of health management, and schools of architecture; Publication of Best Practices; Research and Evidence-based Design; and strengthening professional organizational alliances – specifically the Florida Hospital Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, the Florida Healthcare Engineering Association, and the Agency for Health Care Administration.
AIA Orlando has the largest contingent of Board Certified ACHA members in the State. Those AIA-Orlando members participating included: Chuck Cole (Hunton Brady Architects), Van Smith (KTH Architects), Carlos Marcet (HKS Architects), Bob Yohe (Rogers Lovelock Fritz), and Bill Hercules (Perkins+Will).