Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., was named "America's Most Beautiful Hospital," in an annual list from Soliant Health that ranks the nation's most striking facilities.
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Based on an online survey, which included nearly 170,000 votes, the health care staffing firm identified the most beautiful hospitals in the United States as:
1. Martha Jefferson Hospital (Charlottesville, Va.);
2. Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage, Calif.);
3. LeConte Medical Center (Sevierville, Tenn.);
4. Miami Children’s Hospital;
5. Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare(Ill.);
6. San Juan Regional Medical Center (Farmington, N.M.);
7. Health Central Hospital (Ocoee, Fla.);
8. Orange City Area Health System (Orange City, Iowa);
9. SSM St. Clare Health Center (Fenton, Mo.);
10. UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center (La Jolla, Calif.);
11. Paoli Hospital (Pa.);
12. University Hospital Ahuja Medical Center (Beachwood, Ohio);
13. MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando (Fla.);
14. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center (Ariz.);
15. Jackson Purchase Medical Center (Mayfield, Ky.);
16. Medical Center of the Rockies (Loveland, Colo.);
17. Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Katz Women’s Hospital (N.Y.);
18. Sky Ridge Medical Center (Lone Tree, Colo.);
19. Carolina Medical Center Pineville (Charlotte, N.C.); and
20. Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
According to Tera Tuten, Soliant's operations director, hospitals "are changing the way they design their facilities—it's no longer the square cinder block building with florescent lights," she says. In part, that's because hospital leaders have been influenced by research that link better aesthetics to improved patient health and satisfaction.
For example, Martha Jefferson's six-story, $275 million facility features a pitched roof, gardens to promote a feeling of home, designer slate elevator bays, frosted glass windows to allow light while maintaining privacy, and hand-crafted tile designs in each patient bathroom.
"From the very beginning of the design process, our aim has been to provide our patients, visitors and staff with a comfortable, pleasant environment," according to Martha Jefferson President Jim Haden, adding, "We believe that such an environment improves their overall experience and patient outcomes" (Letourneau, Healthcare Finance, 7/3; Tuten, "Soliant Blog," Soliant Health, 7/2; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/3).
