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Earthquake compliance spurs new designs

Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, December 1, 2017

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Healthcare Life Safety Compliance.

As California hospitals rush toward seismic compliance, interesting technology is being introduced

For several years now, California hospitals have been in a mad dash not only to meet seismic standards set by the state after lessons learned from earthquakes past, but also to make sure they are ready for the next big quake (it’s been pretty quiet there, lately—at least seismically).

In the meantime, some really ingenious and high-tech designs have been developed as a result of the effort, and if you haven’t been paying attention you should take some notes, especially since experts say a good portion of the country’s hospitals lie in areas that are at risk of a moderately damaging earthquake.

In one of the most recent examples of brand-new technology in California hospitals, the new Loma Linda University Health medical complex will sport a new adult hospital and expanded children’s hospital in two adjoining towers, according to a report in Health Facilities Management magazine.

The $1.2 billion project will include nearly 1 million square feet of new construction and is a major part of the health system’s strategy to combine the latest research and best healthcare practices with comprehensive preventive care. But perhaps most remarkable about this new facility’s design is its brand-new technology—it may make the hospital perhaps the most earthquake-proof in the country, and it would help keep the facility operational if a major earthquake strikes the San Jacinto Fault Zone.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Healthcare Life Safety Compliance.

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