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Helping Children and Families Celebrate the Beauty of Life

University of Florida College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Shands Pediatric Hospital

Conceptual Development and Functional Programming for a “Home Away from Home.”

• A temporary “home from home” for young people and children with special health needs.
• Our focus is on children and adolescents:
  • Those with conditions that are life-limiting or considered incurable
  • Those who require frequent admissions to the hospital
  • Those who travel considerable distances with their families
  • Those for whom respite – either of the parent or the family members – will serve a
    valuable service
  • Those for whom conventional medicine has no more to offer
• This home will meet particular needs by fulfilling:
  • Transitional care for those living far away
  • Respite care for children with or without their families
  • Overnight and/or day-care for appropriate children
  • Educational provisions for appropriate children
  • Individual and group support
  • Comfort and support for families
  • End-of-life and bereavement care
  • Holistic research
• Providing skilled nursing care in an environment that promotes opportunities to reach one’s greatest potential
• Based on evidence indicating that the built environment can offer much to enhance overall health, this special place will encompass:
  • Art
  • Animals
  • Gardens
  • Communal work and other activities
  • Creativity and self-expression
  • Field trips
  • Games and sports
  • Local and regional culture and history
  • Multisensory experiences
  • Nature and natural elements
  • Privacy

“A place of health and safety, dignity and endeavor, beauty and fun,
for children, young people and their families.”

Expertise Provided: Operational Visioning + Goal Setting, Strategic Planning, Space Allocation + Utilization Analysis, Operational + Functional Programming, Architectural Programming, Establishing Design Criteria, Evidence-Based Design Consulting