Innovative Clinic Design Creates a "Community of Care" Patients entering the Health and Wellness Clinic (HWC) at Cornell University are immediately struck by the differences between the facility and traditional hospitals: a sense of patient autonomy pervades the clinic, there is an emphasis on social interaction and community outreach, and the very design of the clinic itself distracts from the often complicated procedures which are carried out within its walls.
While no one welcomes visits to health clinics, positive word of mouth promotion from HWC patients has spread rapidly throughout this close-knit community. Recognizing that the clinic is its own best advertisement, HWC welcomes visits by non patients to learn about the facility. Decide for yourself if the innovations at HWC make this facility the one you choose for your next visit.
Cornell University's HWC uses the latest concepts in healthcare facility design to create an environment which focuses not on the illness of a patient, but on the patient's wellness. That subtle shift in focus changes the way that patients are treated from before the time they check in to well after the time they are released. The physical layout of the facility, the philosophy of the caregivers and even the language used at HWC reinforces the clinic's goal of reducing patient stress and decreasing recuperation time. The result is not only an enviable efficacy rate, but a high level of word-of-mouth
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