It has changed, indeed: Sharrow now serves on the advisory board of the Planetree Visionary Design Network, which promotes Planetree design principles and patient-focused care environments. Driven by the same Planetree spirit, Kahn architects and designers have in recent years been presenting annually at Planetree conferences, where the firm facilitates and sponsors workshops highlighting the industry’s latest topics and trends.

Sharrow’s original “quest,” however – inspired by that initial hospital tour – was to find just one Planetree client of his own. That search ended in 1994, when Trinity Regional Medical Center hired Kahn to design a large Planetree ambulatory care facility in Moline, Illinois. And since Kahn was also beginning to work with Aurora Health Care on its southeast Wisconsin expansion plans, they introduced Aurora to the Planetree principles – and Aurora became such a fervent proponent that within the next decade all 14 of its hospitals and its numerous ambulatory care centers were Planetree affiliates. Sharrow attributes Aurora’s enthusiastic adoption of the Planetree philosophy to the positive – and clearly measurable – results.

“All the data improved: patient and staff satisfaction was higher, lengths of stay were shorter, and the economic and financial metrics were better. It’s a demonstrably superior system – so one by one all the Aurora hospitals joined in.”

Kimberly Nelson Montague, AIA, also became a Planetree advocate as soon as she joined the Kahn-Aurora team.

“It’s not just how the building is designed but how people interact within the facility that’s important to Planetree. The work I was doing as an architect was influencing not just the client’s strategic goals but its human-centered approach as well.”

Montague was at that time also shepherding her mother through cancer treatments at a Detroit hospital and was dismayed that their intensely personal experience fell well short of the Planetree model – which forged within her a new resolve.

“I became passionate about making a difference in the way health care is delivered. I’m not a physician, and I’m not going to cure cancer, but I thought, as an architect using Planetree principles, I could positively impact the environment in which patients receive care.”

Cultivate and Transform

Kahn and Planetree’s close collaboration meant that Planetree inevitably turned to Kahn when it came time to redesign its own headquarters office. Kahn jumped at the chance, trading its professional services for the opportunity to send various members of its architectural and design teams to the annual Planetree conference free of charge for a number of years. But Lisa Donnarumma, Planetree’s Chief Creative Director and Director of Operations and the renovation project manager, says that was just the beginning of Kahn’s enormous contribution.

“Kahn, to be honest, went above and beyond what anyone would do. They flew out here on a dime. They walked us through every step. When we had a question, whether it had to do with them or not, they had an answer. They even helped pick out furniture.”

Montague was the renovation project Principal, but Kahn’s Kimberly Cicchella, ASID, and Scott Heywood, AIA, LEED® AP, were also deeply involved in the design effort.

“They’re real people; so positive and likable,” says Cicchella. “It felt like we were providing design services for a friend.”

“One thing I know about Planetree,” says Heywood, “is that they are loved by a lot of people. Everybody appreciates their patient-focused approach.”

“Kahn has such a bright, responsive, and creative staff,” says Planetree’s President, Susan B. Frampton, Ph.D. “They listen well, and they incorporate the customer’s ideas – which is unusual! And we all loved the outcome.”

The feeling was mutual for Montague – so much so that shortly after the project was completed she left Kahn to join forces with Planetree.

“We weren’t looking for an architect to hire,” says Donnarumma. “But it just clicked on its own, and Planetree is very fortunate to have her.”

Montague says she wasn’t thinking about leaving Kahn; she’d been part of the organization for 15 years. But during the renovation project something just “clicked.” She began volunteering as a member of Planetree’s assessment team – meeting with patients, conducting focus groups, assessing physical plants, and implementing strategies – and she found the work both intriguing and gratifying. After staff members had asked her a few times about joining the team permanently, she finally took the leap.

Encourage and Champion

Sharrow’s latest Planetree venture involves him as Kahn’s Principal on a Chicago area project for Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, which became a Planetree affiliate in 2007. And he and Montague co-authored a chapter in the recently published second edition of Planetree’s book, “Putting Patients First.” But for both Sharrow and Montague, the Planetree experience has gone well beyond the professional realm. It has become a deeply personal affair.

“We’ve always tried to support Planetree, and to advance the art of Planetree design,” says Sharrow. “We try to do our part to bring patient-centered design concepts to all our projects, but it’s the caregivers who really make the difference. That’s what Planetree does for its members – giving them the tools to change their culture, and to become truly focused on the needs of their patients.”

Since joining Planetree, Montague has developed a certification program aimed at recognizing organizations doing exemplary work in human-centered design. Sharrow has worked with her and others on this effort in his advisory role, and Kahn aspires to be the first firm to gain Planetree certification and recognition as part of the Planetree Visionary Design Network.

“It’s a really nice relationship,” says Donnarumma. “Kahn’s dedication to us is just unbelievable.”