Designing Safety-Net Clinics for Cultural Sensitivity

Mar 01, 2011

As safety-net clinics plan and design their facilities, it is critical that they engage members of the community in the process. These potential users of the clinic can help administrators understand how cultural factors affect health care and can contribute to the development of design strategies that address these issues.

This paper provides a framework and recommendations for designing culturally sensitive safety-net clinics with a special focus on the role of physical environment in patient-provider interactions. The recommendations should not be interpreted as prescriptive guidelines but as considerations for a design team as it examines issues related to designing clinics for diverse cultures.

Author: 
Anjali Joseph, Ph.D.
Amy Keller, M.Arch.
Ellen Taylor, AIA, MBA
Xiaobo Quan, Ph.D.
Published & professionally reviewed by: 
The Center for Health Design
File: 

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