Healthcare Design: Take 5 With MacKenzie Kusler

The exacerbated healthcare equity issues across the country became even more evident during the pandemic. And a year later, racial and ethnic disparities were ranked the no. 1 patient-safety issue of the year, according to an ECRI report released in mid-March 2021. When it comes to social determinants of health and inclusive building design, these elements are often examined separately. MacKenzie Kusler, designer for Ryan Architecture + Engineering and co-researcher of Urban Determinants says the gap can be filled by examining both factors in unison. As she puts is, healthcare starts long before a patient enters a building. Design of an equitable process is just as important as the physical space. Learn more about Kusler’s thoughts on designing for health equity in healthcare design’s Take 5 series by clicking the link below.