Fall marks the beginning of conference season—a time full of energy, connection, and opportunity. As calendars fill with industry events and professional gatherings, it’s the perfect chance to gain fresh insights and grow your network. Whether you're a seasoned attendee or new to the scene, a little preparation can help you make the most of this inspiring time.
Read MorePreview NIHD events at HCD.
NIHD is a proud Association Partner of Healthcare Design Conference + Expo! Our hosted events include a member dinner, Pre-Conference Workshop, a reception and booth #334 in the exhibit hall.
Read MoreUncover “The Hidden Cost of Ugly Furniture” in Carolina's New White Paper
In a new white paper, Carolina, a leader in healthcare furniture design, explores the hidden ways aesthetics, performance, and perception influence healthcare environments. Titled “The Hidden Cost of Ugly Furniture,” the paper provides valuable insights and data for designers, facility managers, and healthcare leaders looking to make strategic, evidence-based furniture decisions that enhance both patient experiences and operational outcomes.
Read MoreNurses Who Network: Lessons and Tips on How to Navigate your First Industry Networking Event.
Networking may feel foreign to many nurses, as it's rarely taught in nursing school, but it's becoming essential as the profession expands into roles like healthcare design, entrepreneurship, and leadership. As nurses push boundaries and transform healthcare, building strong networks ensures our voices are heard and our impact is amplified.
Read MoreDesigning for a Digital Age: A Nurse’s Perspective on Technology in Multigenerational Care
As healthcare spaces become more digitized, nurses in planning and design must balance patient needs, clinician workflows, and evolving technology. But digital tools aren’t experienced equally—what empowers a millennial may overwhelm an 85-year-old patient. From smart rooms to self-check-in apps, nurse designers have a critical role in making sure healthcare technology works for everyone, not just the tech-savvy. This blog explores how multigenerational design, inclusive testing, and human-centered support can create healing environments that are not only modern—but humane.
Read MoreAre ASC’s Designed for A New Era of Ambulatory Surgery?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is gradually eliminating the Inpatient Only (IPO) List over the next three years. This change will allow more surgeries to be performed at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) instead of requiring hospital stays. As a result, patients may experience lower costs and more convenient access to care. What do you see as some of the biggest design and operational challenges with this change?
Read MoreHealing, Redefined: A Cancer Survivor's Tribute to Nurses.
This blog recounts MacKenzie Weldon’s deeply personal journey after being diagnosed with stage 3B triple-negative breast cancer in October 2024. A long-time professional in the healthcare industry, MacKenzie found her understanding of healthcare profoundly reshaped. While the medical care was critical, it was the compassion, dedication, and humanity of the nurses that left the most lasting impact.
Read MoreEasy Tips to Help Make your Networking Efforts Worthwhile during Conference Season.
This is quite a busy time for NIHD and our members. Planning and related activities ramp up to our attendance and participation in numerous industry related conferences that happen across the country in the Fall. I think we all know the numerous benefits of networking but what are some easy tips to help make your networking efforts worthwhile?
Read MoreOne “Big Beautiful” Design.
The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," passed in July 2025, marks a major shift in U.S. healthcare funding, cutting over $1 trillion from Medicaid over ten years and introducing stricter financing rules. These changes are expected to result in higher copays, the loss of coverage for nearly 12 million Americans by 2034, and significant financial strain on rural and safety-net hospitals, many of which may face closure. As healthcare systems adapt to reduced reimbursements, there will be a growing focus on return-on-investment, operational efficiency, and strategic planning—particularly in facility design and construction. While some projects with secure funding may proceed, others, especially in rural areas, could be delayed or canceled, with a broader shift toward renovations and outpatient-focused facilities expected.
Read MoreA Nurse’s Journey to Transform Healthcare Spaces: Learning to Advocate for Safe, Efficient, and Wellness-Promoting Spaces.
Meet Annette Roehl M.Arch, MUP, BSN-RN, CCRN, CHSE, EDAC, MHFA. She has the privilege of advocating for spaces that prioritize safety, efficiency, and wellness—ensuring that both patients, families, and healthcare teams have environments that support their needs.
Read MoreThe Paladin Healthcare Story: Infrastructure with Intention.
Paladin’s story begins not in a boardroom, but in a generational handoff. In 2013, a rail, both literal and symbolic, was passed from father to son. This “official” transition marked the founding of Paladin Healthcare, a company born from legacy but designed for the future. It wasn’t just about continuing a business; it was about evolving an idea, about taking something foundational and reimagining it for a new era of healthcare.
Read MoreCreating Spaces That Care: Highlights from the AMFP's Houston Healthcare Summit
NIHD Member Nick Mengucci, MSN, RN-BC, LSSGB recently spoke on a panel at AMFP’s Houston Annual Healthcare Summit titled Creating a High-Quality Workplace Experience in Healthcare, highlighting how thoughtful design supports staff recruitment, retention, and performance. As the nurse voice on the panel, he represented both the profession and NIHD, emphasizing the need for environments that support caregivers as much as patients.
Read MoreWhat’s All the Chatter About?
At this year’s Healthcare Design Forum, keynote speaker Ethan Kross delivered a powerful message on the impact of our internal dialogue and how it shapes our behavior, confidence, and decision-making. His insights on managing self-talk—especially through small shifts like using our own name—offered practical tools for overcoming doubt and speaking up with clarity and conviction in professional settings.
Read MoreBridging Care and Design: Meg Yoho’s Journey from Bedside Nurse to Healthcare Systems Innovator
For the past three years, Meg Yoho, MSN, RN, ASQ CSSBB, has been a Senior Project Manager at Yellow Brick, Inc., bringing a wealth of experience in healthcare leadership, process improvement, and operational excellence. Before joining Yellow Brick, she spent over a decade at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) in key leadership roles, where she focused on optimizing systems and improving healthcare operations.
Read MoreViolence Against Hospital Staff: A Crisis in Care and How Technology Can Help.
Workplace violence in healthcare is escalating at an alarming rate, turning once-rare incidents into daily threats for frontline staff. This blog explores how a layered safety approach—anchored by advanced nurse call systems and supported by smart technology and training—can help protect caregivers and rebuild a culture of safety in hospitals.
Read MoreIt's Graduation Season - But Where Are the Nurses?
As we celebrate the graduation of our eldest daughter from high school and her trade school (cosmetology) program, I couldn't help but notice a significant disparity at her recent completion ceremony. There were considerably more graduates in programs like cosmetology and aesthetics compared to medical assistant and nursing programs, with a ratio of approximately 4:1.
Read MoreFrom Bedside to Blueprint: How Susan Bower Is Transforming Healthcare Through Design.
Susan Bower’s expertise spans the entire planning continuum, from early strategic visioning and operational programming to transition planning and activation.
Read MoreConnection, Satisfaction, and Value: How Melanie Viquez found Meaningful Work.
Throughout her career in healthcare, Melanie has excelled at the intersection of operations, facility activation, and project management, ensuring seamless, patient-centered transitions. At Yellow Brick Consulting, she remains an invaluable resource to her clients, utilizing her technical expertise and foresight to keep her team ahead of the curve.
Read MoreBeyond the Job: How Professional Involvement Shapes Your Leadership, Career, and Community
There are a lot of reasons people serve on boards. If it’s a non-profit like NIHD, board positions are uncompensated, but Kris Krail, NIHD Past President, shares that is not to say there aren’t significant intrinsic benefits.
Read MoreMore Than Pizza: Celebrating #ThePowerOfNurses with the Gift of Respite.
As we kick off Nurses Week, NIHD President Kevin Meek remembers back to his days as a Clinical Director and Chief Nursing Officer when he would talk to teams and ask them as we were getting ready to celebrate them during Nurses Week of what they would like to receive. Inevitably, and sadly, there was always one answer that came up: “Anything but pizza!”
Read More