Season of Giving 2012

This holiday season PDA’s donation to Heifer International will result in the purchase of Biogas Stoves for a community in need. This is made possible through the continued support of our clients, colleagues, friends and family. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Cooking Up a Healthier Planet

For most families in the places where Heifer International works, cooking usually means gathering firewood by hand, and often leads to soil depletion and deforestation. Smoke inhalation in poorly ventilated homes often leads to chronic respiratory and eye diseases. But a biogas stove runs off methane gas captured from animal waste. It burns cleanly, reliably and efficiently.

LA County High Desert Health System MACC

PDA is proud to have been a part of the design/build phase for the Los Angeles County High Desert Health System Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center project currently under construction in Lancaster, California. The brand-new state-of-the-art facility will provide a comprehensive range of outpatient medical services and is slated to be open in July 2014. For a sneak peek, check out the animation overview created by Shimahara Illustration (located in Santa Monica, California) by clicking on the image above to take you to the project page. Stay tuned for more project updates!

Planetree Conference 2012

This year the Planetree Conference was held in sunny Palm Desert, California where attendees learned about the latest in innovative patient- and resident-centered care and had a chance to connect with their peers. At the conference, Christine ran into Phyllis Goetz, Chair of the Planetree Visionary Design Network.

Of the many exhibits at the event, one of them was a Sky Factory Digital Cinema Virtual Window featuring real nature scenes with audiophile sound system. This real-time scenery delivers a soothing presence for the mind and body through imagery, motion and sound and the slim installation fits standard wall depth.

Besides the many breakout sessions available, tours of a few healthcare facilities were provided to showcase the successful implementations of Planetree initiatives. In particular, Christine toured the Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego County which has carried out My Health Record (an open medical record for patients), an Integrative Healing program (including comfort massage, aromatherapy and Reiki), an Arts Healing Program that brings arts to the bedside for patients and a program that integrates volunteers as Health Information Ambassadors.

The grand finale of the 3-day conference was the Spirit of Planetree Awards ceremony and dinner. It was a truly inspiring and educational event!

Progress at Cedars-Sinai PACU

Working with a wonderful team of professionals at Cedars-Sinai, our designers are incorporating a fresh spa feel to the finish palette for the new 6th and 7th floors PACU located at the north tower of the medical center. By strategically placing accent colors, we are creating a soothing and calm environment for patients in the care unit. The project is slated to be completed by mid November 2012.

Kaiser Anaheim Hospital Grand Opening

On Friday, August 24, 2012, Kaiser Permanente invited its colleagues and distinguished guests to attend the VIP Grand Opening of the new Anaheim Medical Center and the Kraemer Medical Office Building 2. Among the attendees were members of our own team – Christine, Monica and Angie who worked so diligently on this project. During the ceremony, various speakers addressed Kaiser’s contribution to the community and healthy environment with the new medical center. After a catered sit-down lunch, everyone was given a generous gift basket filled with gardening tools and seeds as well as a tour of the new facilities. Congratulations to our team for contributing to such a successful project!