THE EPIDAURUS PROJECT

The Epidaurus Project was founded by Frederick Foote, MD. taking its name from the 4th century BC healing sanctuary of Asclepius. The Asclepeion at Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing center of the Classical world. Patients from as far as Rome came to seek healing at its temples and hospitals.

The Epidaurus Project of Healing Design, in progress since 2001, brings together architects, designers, healthcare policy makers and bioethicists to examine the challenges and principles of patient centeredness. Participants are drawn from the federal government, academia and the private sector. Each year the “Epidaurians” hold a Symposium on Healing Design to address design principles that focus on creating patient-centered facilities. Architectural design and functional programming are critical elements that work in concert to make every patient encounter a healing encounter.

The principals of Huelat Parimucha, Barbara Huelat and Joe Parimucha, have actively participated as guest lecturers, consultants and advocates for the Epidaurus Project since the project’s inception in 2001. Most recently, the Epidaurians have crafted their own Guiding Principles for Patient Centered Design slated to be incorporated into military medicine.

Epidaurus Project Guiding Principles for Patient Centered Design:

• The Building and Its Landscape Promotes the Integrity of the Clinical Encounter
• The Building Empowers the Patient
• Relief of Suffering is the Primary Goal
• The Building Promotes a Lifelong Healing Interaction