Spokane Teaching Health Center Supports New Model of Healthcare

SPOKANE, Wash. – NAC Architecture, and Design-Build contractor Bouten Construction Company, recently celebrated the completion of the Spokane Teaching Health Center, located in Spokane, Washington. The facility is purposefully designed for all healthcare specialties to be trained together collaboratively in a team-based environment, reflecting and supporting the new model of healthcare.

Through a Design-Build process and incorporating Lean principles, NAC helped create the vision. Drawing from their extensive medical planning and educational experience, the architecture firm led the process of planning and designing this unique facility.

Born of a consortium of Providence Health and Services, Empire Health Foundation and Washington State University, the STHC offers patient care and training for family medicine, internal medicine, behavioral health, pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy. The resulting facility is comfortable and inviting—a safe place to go for underserved patients, who upon entering the new facility feel respected and valued. Despite the modest budget, public spaces are inspired, celebrating exceptional views of the adjacent Spokane River and the Washington State University Riverpoint campus.

The value of a patient-centered approach to healthcare has been recognized for more than a decade. The future, however, lies within team-based medicine and collaborative care. But existing instructional methods—and teaching schools—largely have not supported this new standard.

The 42,000-square-foot building has 58 exam rooms on two levels. The large preceptor space is meticulously planned and designed to foster all healthcare disciplines working together to efficiently treat the patient, rather than the symptom.