Solution & improvements for construction projects and
facility maintenance
The third annual HealthTrust Connect Conference and Exhibit Hall drew record attendance in October. Hosted by the Commercial Products & Services, Construction & Facilities team, the event focused on solutions and opportunities aimed at improving performance in the areas of behavioral health, prefabrication construction and sustainability. Breakout sessions were held on each of those topics.
Behavioral health
This session covered some of the unique product needs of behavioral healthcare settings, including those designed to reduce suicide risk, such as ligature-resistant furniture and fixtures. “It’s imperative to understand your physical environment and your patient population,” explained Vicki Franklin, Behavioral Health Program Manager at Grainger, who developed a product-selection safety guide to help providers reduce risk and meet accreditation requirements.
Sustainability
A sustainable finance market specialist with Bloomberg, Karen Brenseke, led this session and talked about the Health Sector Climate Pledge that was signed by 140 healthcare organizations representing 940 hospitals, beginning in 2022. These systems are publicly reporting environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) information regarding initiatives that include emission reduction targets, energy efficiency, water use and supply chain risk, among others. Executives, analysts and potential investors use the data to assess risk and financial resiliency.
Of the 55 exhibiting suppliers, seven featured products and services designed to help members measure and meet their sustainability goals. Two of those suppliers were featured in an article in the Q2 edition last year, with sustainability software as a new product offering for the Commercial Products & Services team.
Prefabrication construction
A panel representing owners, architects, engineers and general contractors discussed the benefits of prefabrication and modularization over stick-built projects. The discussion focused heavily on the benefits of standardization to both design and process, citing “speed to market” to foster savings in construction costs and accelerate revenue generation. “This is about redesigning a deeper process to facilitate better results,” said Bill Hercules, CEO of WJH Health. “It’s not just the process of the prefabrication components coming together; it’s about the holistic process of achieving that.”
In addition to education sessions, the daylong event also included HealthTrust Advisory Board meetings, an expanded exhibit hall and a keynote address by Dan Silvert, President of Velocity Advisory Group, on understanding personality differences and the importance of building meaningful professional relationships.
Share Email Facilities Management, Q1 2025, Supplier Relationships, Sustainability
