Blog Contribution by NIHD President Kristina Krail, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, PMP, EDAC
Greetings NIHD community!
On behalf of myself and the entire board, we welcome the opportunity to continue to serve our NIHD members and others aligned with our mission: to shape the future of healthcare environments through engaging and integrating clinical expertise into the planning and design of healthcare systems and settings. Since our founding over 10 years ago, our growth and maturity as a professional organization of like-minded clinicians and others within the healthcare design field is impressive. This is due to the effort and leadership of those who believe in NIHD and those who have volunteered their talent and effort to our vision. It is through our collective work that we have made considerable strides towards realizing our mission. That includes our continuing education offerings, our involvement in HCD and PDC, and our relationship with other professional organizations such as CHD and the Daisy Foundation. We also recognize our industry Partners who have provided us the financial and in-kind support to help us meet many of these goals. And, we have all benefited from the resources and tools NIHD has made available to our growing specialty, especially our early careerists.
However, our ability to continue our work in realizing our mission is through our membership. Your involvement, in big or small ways, is not only welcomed but requested. Please visit our website to not just see the numerous ways you can benefit from being a member, but also ways you can contribute to our collective success. Based on member input and board deliberation, NIHD is focusing on three strategic initiatives in 2024:
1- Grow and engage membership.
2 - Embark on authoring a 2nd publication to build and following on our first – Nurses as Leaders in Healthcare Design: A Resource for Nurses and Interprofessional Partners.
3 - Strengthen our partnerships, particularly with our academic partners.
There are numerous opportunities to be involved in the above as well as other ongoing activities, committees, and tasks forces. We invite you to share your expertise, and we also invite you to any of our work groups with nothing more than an interest to contribute and/or a desire to learn from others. All of you are sincerely welcomed to participate in ways that go beyond just being a passive card-carrying member.
2024 will be a challenging year for our healthcare professions and industry, to say nothing about our society, country, and world. Let us together find purpose in our community with one another and in our collective vision to shape the future of healthcare through the engagement and integration of the clinical voice in the planning and design of healthcare environments.
Kristina Krail, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, PMP, EDAC
2024 NIHD President