FGI Bulletin #26

Doug Erickson Receives Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award

At a special ceremony at the 2025 PDC Summit in Atlanta, Ellen Taylor, PhD, AIA, MBA, EDAC, vice president of research for The Center for Health Design, presented Douglas S. Erickson, FASHE, the Russ Coile Lifetime Achievement Award. For nearly five decades, Doug has been a driving force in improving health care facilities and shaping the built environment to enhance patient care and safety. His remarkable contributions have now been recognized with this prestigious award, a testament to his unwavering dedication and leadership.

Doug’s impact dates back to 1978 when he joined the revision committee for the Minimum Requirements of Construction and Equipment for Hospital and Medical Facilities, the document that would become known as the Guidelines for Design and Construction. In 1984, when the Department of Health and Human Services discontinued its publication, Doug—alongside Joe Sprague and Armand Burgun—stepped in to ensure its survival. Their shared commitment to the Guidelines documents ultimately led to the founding of the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) in 1998. In his role as vice-chair and later chair of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee, Doug recruited thousands of volunteers and provided both leadership and continuity to the Guidelines revision cycle. During Doug’s tenure as CEO from 2015 to 2023, FGI expanded from one to three code documents, instituted a robust benefit-cost review of proposed changes to the codes, launched a subscription service for access to the codes, and convened a special committee to assemble and publish design guidance during a pandemic.

Beyond his work with FGI, Doug represented the American Hospital Association and the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) for 26 years, advocating for codes, standards, and improvements in the built environment. His contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including ASHE’s Crystal Eagle Leadership Award, FGI’s Pioneer Award, and the American College of Healthcare Architects’ Presidential Citation. To honor his influence, FGI and The Center for Health Design have established the Douglas S. Erickson Health Care Research Award, furthering the connection between design research and improved health outcomes.

The Russ Coile Lifetime Achievement Award is a fitting tribute to a visionary whose work has left an enduring mark on health care infrastructure, benefiting patients and professionals alike. Congratulations, Doug!

EDAC Study Guides: Now available through FGI, with new features and accessibility enhancements

The Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) study guides published by The Center for Health Design are now available on FGI’s website. This collaboration promotes an interactive and user-friendly experience for professionals preparing for the EDAC certification exam.

The updated digital study guides offer several new features, including:

➡ Highlighting and note-taking—Engage with the material in a more interactive way.

➡ Chapter-based navigation—Easily find content with a structured format replacing the previous single-running PDF.

➡ Improved accessibility—Zoom up to 400% while maintaining text clarity.

This integration allows design professionals to access essential industry resources in one place, helping them create safer, more effective health care environments.

Those purchasing EDAC study guides via The Center for Health Design website will now be redirected to FGI’s website for purchase and access. Existing users on MADCAD can continue their subscription until its term ends, after which they can transition to FGI’s digital subscription.

New Features for Subscribers

Check out the new features in FGI’s digital library!

• Save annotations—Subscribers can save their work and bookmark pages to keep track of important notes.

• Add highlighting—Highlight text with customizable colors and thickness, making information easier to categorize and review.

• Add text—Insert additional notes, comments, and reminders within the document, with options to modify text size and color.

• Add drawing—Draw directly on documents, including circles and arrows, with adjustable line thickness, color, and opacity.

• Toggle sidebar—A quick view of all pages in a section helps subscribers navigate documents more efficiently.

• Viewing tools—Turn on presentation mode to screen share and present annotated documents.

Coming Soon! 2026 FGI Code for Planning and Design

We’re getting closer to the highly anticipated release of the 2026 FGI Code for Planning and Design documents. The Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC) has completed voting for comments submitted on the 2026 drafts, and members will convene in person this April to finalize revisions for each document. Stay tuned—the updated FGI Codes are scheduled to be released in early 2026!

New Errata Published on the Hospital and Outpatient Guidelines

Medication safety zones

Errata for the following sections were published on January 21, 2025. They clarify design criteria for a medication safety zone.

• Section 2.1-3.8.8.1 (Medication Safety Zones—General) in the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities
• Section 2.1-3.8.8.2 (Work areas for preparing, dispensing, and administering medications) in the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities
• Section 2.1-3.8.8.1 (Medication Safety Zones—General) in the 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities
• Section 2.1-3.8.8.2 (Work areas for prepping, dispensing, and administering medications) in the 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities
• Section 3.1-3.6.6 (Medication Safety Zones—General) in the 2014 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities

Handwashing stations

On January 21, 2025, errata for the following sections were published regarding the provisions required for drying hands.

• Section 2.1-7.2.2.8 (5) (Handwashing stations—Provisions for drying hands) in the 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities
• Section 2.1-7.2.2.8 (5) (Hand-washing stations—Provisions for drying hands) in the 2018 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities

FGI’s printable errata sheets are helpful for those using paperbacks of the Guidelines for Design and Construction. For licensed users of the documents, errata are incorporated into the html view. More information can be found by clicking on the errata tab on any page displaying this feature.

Remember to periodically check the Errata and Addenda page on the FGI website under the Guidelines tab so you don’t miss corrections to errors found in the documents.

New Episode Coming Friday, April 4!

On Friday, April 4, Between the Lines with FGI cohost John Williams dives deep into the world of plumbing with Christoph Lohr, PE. They’ll be tapping into the flood of information on how plumbing systems affect health and residential care planning and design. You won’t want to miss it!

Please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help expand our reach. Thank you for listening!