Hospital and healthcare-related building construction continues to grow in South Florida as the area’s aging population continues to climb. While the trend among healthcare families across the country is downsizing, Florida is renovating and building newer facilities to keep up with demand.
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“Healthcare is a substantial segment for the design-build sector because of the aging demographics, and assisted-living, medical practices and hospital care needed as a result,” says Deborah Deioma Danto, MBA, LEED AP, who manages business development for Danto Builders, a licensed and insured general contractor with more than 35 years of experience in the South Florida market. “There is a demand for good quality builders and there is a lot of talent in this region.”Step into one of these newly remodeled hospitals or assisted living facilities and your experience would be reminiscent of a high-end hotel-like atmosphere. The industry as a whole is modeling its facilities after the hospitality industry as a way to attract and retain patients.
“The entire industry has stepped up their game by offering patients and their families a much better and more comfortable experience at their healthcare facilities,” says Danto.
For example, most healthcare facilities are designing patient rooms for one person with their own private bath so it feels more like home. Many independent living and assisted living facilities are adding amenities that would make family members more comfortable during visits.
“Not only do we design and build a facility that will address a patient’s physical and mental needs but also for their families by providing them with amenities to make them feel more comfortable,” says Danto. “With quality of care becoming an important factor in the ratings of healthcare facilities and the healthcare industry being competitive, many organizations are looking at ways to enhance the patient experience. So it’s become more hospitality-driven versus institutionalized.”
Since many healthcare organizations are looking to create the best patient experience by building or renovating facilities with a more hospitality focus, Danto says that her firm has the expertise to help its clients, from rezoning a property to working on a feasibility study to designing, developing and building healthcare-related projects. Danto Builders also works directly with the facilities management team through the complete development process.
Danto Builders is a 4th generation builder that has been in the south Florida area for over 35 years so we understand this market very well,” says Danto. “We take the time to listen to our client’s needs to better understand their practice or organization and build a facility around their short and long-term objectives in order to optimize their operation, and ensure that we are also meeting their patients’ needs. We want to make them happy and we will go out of our way to do what it takes.”
