Insight in preparedness for healthcare facilities

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought the need for emergency preparedness in hospitals and medical facilities to the forefront of nearly every discussion in the industry. Today, with the delta variant fueling another surge in cases across the United States, the challenges continue. With different rules and regulations in every state, the protocols for controlling the virus vary depending on the hospital system.

Because utility infrastructure impacts every area of hospital operations, from the day a new hospital is opened and for many decades to come, it is important to understand key decision drivers when developing emergency preparedness plans.

Here, we will analyze several of the key drivers of hospital/medical facility planning and design required to meet future needs—including the need for energy efficiency, an understanding of available redundancy, and a comparison of first costs versus life cycle costs.

This is an excerpt from members-only content. Please log in or become a member to access the full content.