Designing for Health Equity in Hiroshima: Support Health Designers

Who We Are

We are Peyton Fort, Elke Miedema, and Andrea Mohn - a passionate team of evidence-based design researchers, architects, educators, and well-being pioneers. As volunteer leaders of the International Network of Health Promoting Hospital's Built Environment task force, we're dedicated to improving health and health equity through the design of inclusive environments for wellbeing.

Click here to learn about Peyton (Pictured Below)

Click here to learn about Elke (Pictured Below)

Click here to learn about Andrea (Pictured Below)

Introducing the HPH Network

The International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH) is a global initiative integrating health promotion concepts, values, and strategies into healthcare organizations. HPH aims to enhance overall health outcomes by improving healthcare quality, strengthening community relationships, and optimizing conditions for patients, staff, and visitors. The network focuses on developing specific management structures, engaging clinicians in health promotion communication, and implementing targeted action plans and policies.

Click here to learn more about HPH

The HPBE Task Force

Established in 2022, the Task Force on Health Promoting Built Environments (HPBE) is one of five specialized teams within HPH. This interdisciplinary group focuses on the crucial role of the built environment in transforming healthcare organizations into centers of health promotion. We work to bridge the gap between design disciplines and healthcare, expanding HPH's reach and familiarizing designers with HPH strategies and standards. What sets our task force apart is its truly global and multidisciplinary nature. We integrate knowledge from experts across over 11 countries worldwide, bringing together diverse perspectives from architecture, engineering, design, academia, healthcare leadership, wellness, and hospitality disciplines. This rich tapestry of expertise allows us to approach health-promoting environments with a holistic, innovative, and culturally sensitive mindset.

Click here to learn more about the Task Force

Our Purpose

Our goal is to inform planners and design decision-makers about the multidimensional aspects of health promotion in healthcare and beyond, including the built environment. We believe that thoughtful architectural design can foster wellbeing, promote health equity, and enhance the overall experience for diverse user groups in healthcare settings and other environments.

The HPH Conference

The 30th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH) in Hiroshima, Japan (November 6-8, 2024) marks a significant milestone in our journey towards more empathetic and health-promoting environments. Hiroshima's history of devastation and remarkable recovery provides a powerful backdrop for our discussions on health equity and empathetic design. This poignant setting underscores the vital link between peace, empathy, and health, reminding us of our collective responsibility to create spaces that heal, prevent harm, and promote wellbeing for all. The conference's focus on health equity resonates deeply with Hiroshima's message of universal human dignity and the right to health. By presenting our workshop on "Design for Equity with Empathy" in this context, we're demonstrating how thoughtful, empathetic design can contribute to healing on both individual and societal levels. This unique opportunity bridges historical lessons with future innovations, inspiring attendees to reimagine built environments as powerful tools for promoting health, equity, and peace.

Click here to learn more about the Conference

Our Workshop: Design for Equity with Empathy

At the conference, we'll present a transformative workshop exploring the crucial role of empathic design in healthcare environments. Participants will:

• Delve into cutting-edge research on HPH design criteria

• Examine strategies that encourage healthy behaviors, participation, and inclusivity

• Gain insights into how spatial and atmospheric qualities influence comfort, behavior, and healing processes

• Learn to reimagine healthcare spaces, considering accessibility, equity, and harmonization with medical practices

Why It Matters

By emphasizing the integration of empathic design principles in healthcare architecture, we aim to prevent potential barriers to future health promotion processes and pave the way for more equitable, inclusive, and effective healing spaces. This workshop is essential for healthcare decision-makers and HPH initiative leaders, highlighting how the built environment can significantly impact health promotion efforts.

What We Are Seeking

Our involvement in the task force and conference attendance is voluntary. We're seeking financial support to cover:

• Conference registration fees

• Flights from the Netherlands and the USA to Hiroshima, Japan

• Transportation, Food, and Accommodations during the conference

The registration deadline is August 16th, so your timely support is crucial.

Your Impact

By supporting this initiative, you're becoming a catalyst for change in how we design our world. Your contribution goes beyond sending us to a conference - it's an investment in a future where every space, from hospitals to schools to workplaces, is consciously designed to promote health, equity, and wellbeing. The principles of empathetic design we'll share at this conference have the power to transform environments far beyond healthcare settings. Imagine a world where every built space nurtures physical and mental wellbeing, fosters inclusivity, and promotes social equity. That's the vision we're working towards. Your support, regardless of the amount, fuels a ripple effect. As we share our insights at this pivotal conference, we'll be influencing decision-makers and designers who shape the spaces where people live, work, heal, and thrive. Each person touched by these ideas has the potential to impact thousands more through their work.

Join us in this mission to create a more holistic, health-oriented world. Together, we can advance the cause of health-promoting built environments, making all spaces more equitable, inclusive, and effective in fostering wellbeing for everyone. Thank you for being a part of this transformative journey towards a healthier, more empathetic world!