Creating Spaces That Care: Highlights from the AMFP's Houston Healthcare Summit

Blog Contribution by Nick Mengucci, MSN, RN-BC, LSSGB, Senior Consultant at Blue Cottage of CannonDesign.

On June 5, 2025, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at the Association of Medical Facility Professional’s (AMFP) Healthcare Summit in Houston, where leaders in healthcare design and planning came together to exchange ideas and explore solutions shaping the future of care environments.

Throughout the day, sessions centered on some of the most pressing and forward-thinking topics in healthcare design. Discussions explored innovation and emerging best practices, the growing importance of adaptive reuse and flexible facilities, and how technology can be leveraged to enhance both design and care delivery. Key panels dove into the complexities and risks of large-scale healthcare projects, the business and clinical case for designing adaptable spaces, the value of smart hospitals as strategic investments, and the transformative role that advanced technology plays in shaping the future of patient care.

As a nurse and healthcare designer, several insights stood out:

1 - Onboarding Matters

Clear, inclusive onboarding, especially for non-design team members, ensures alignment. Tools like project playbooks and Revit model walkthroughs help bridge gaps and promote understanding across disciplines.

2 - Design with Flexibility in Mind

Buildings risk being outdated upon opening. Future-proofing through flexible, adaptable design is critical to accommodate evolving technologies and care models.

3 - The Right Voices from the Start

The most powerful insight for me: include the right people early. Clinical input, especially from nurses, helps create functional, intuitive spaces that truly support care delivery.

I was proud to speak on the panel 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, I represented both the profession and the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design, emphasizing the need for environments that support caregivers as much as patients.

This summit reinforced that healthcare design is about people. When we create spaces that adapt, support, and elevate those who use them, we design not just buildings, but better care.

NIHD collaborates with clinicians, design professionals and industry partners in the healthcare design process to shape the future of healthcare design.