AIA Middle Tennessee and the International Interior Design Association are the educational partners for a symposium to help improve the quality of care and increase profitability of facilities through health-care design. The event, produced by
Imark Communications in association with The Center for Health Design, will take place December 5–8 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

The Symposium on Healthcare Design is a conference and exposition for architects, designers, facility managers, health-care executives, and care providers. The educational program consists of workshops, conference tracks, and educational forums. The event will include facility tours, an exposition, demo rooms, an awards ceremony and reception, and more.

The program's focus will be on building and strengthening design teams and examining technology's influence on health-care design. Presenters, who include many AIA members, will also cover design trends, revenue, and staffing issues. The eight tracks are:
• The facility
• Behavioral health
• Pediatrics
• OB/women's health
• Oncology
• Future health-care technology
• Immediate health-care technology
• Critical care/cardiology.

The exposition will include more than 100 exhibiting companies and will feature a new "Technology Wing" for companies specializing in technology for use in a health-care facility.

The keynote/plenary sessions include a seminar on "The Digital Hospital," presented by Richard M. Scrushy, of HealthSouth Corporation; John Cooper, AIA, ACHA, vice president, Kirskey; and Daniel Luhrs, AIA, president of CLA Architecture Inc., and another on "Flesh into Word: The Doctor as Architect," by Richard Seltzer, a surgeon and writer.

The conference also presents another opportunity to earn continuing education credits. For more information on the symposium and to register for the event, visit www.hcaredesign.com.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.