One Community Health Hood River
A design that integrates care, compassion, and community
One Community Health (OCH) Hood River is an integrated health facility focusing on whole-person team-based care. SEA and the project team reimagined and replaced the existing facility on the site with a new facility meeting OCH’s needs. OCH provides medical, dental, primary, and behavioral health care, and now has the much-needed functional space to administer each service. OCH also performs public outreach and provides educational services to advance its mission of health and social justice for all members of its community. To be able to continue and grow these programs, an expansive design considering all elements was vital.
Client
One Community Health
Location
Hood River, OR
Size
36,000 sf
Year
2020
Achievements
2021 IIDA Award
The interior is maximized using zones for gathering or waiting. When visitors enter the building, they are greeted by a welcoming seating area and powered booth seating for technology. Technology is also implemented at the ‘Learning Bar,’ a zone on the first floor encouraging patients to access OCH’s health education materials.
Our design centers on staff and patient experience by maximizing natural light and using welcoming materials like biophilic artwork and wall hangings. Clear, identifiable wayfinding guides people from zone to zone, and the modernized lobbies and medical spaces enable providers to give the best care to their patients.
OCH requested children-focused zones in the lobbies. Playful built-ins engage the users in these areas, and with the vibrant culture and youthful audience in mind, branding is inserted throughout all spaces using modern graphics and critical wayfinding signage. The result is a modern and inviting atmosphere that pushes the boundaries of a typical sterile medical aesthetic.
A multi-purpose space is designed to support numerous uses, including as a classroom and event space for the community, accommodating the entire OCH staff from all their clinics for quarterly meetings, dance and movement classes, a kitchen to teach healthy eating practices, and, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, as an efficient vaccine response center. An operable partition, a separate entrance, and the teaching kitchen are all elements that contribute to the space's flexibility.
Trauma-informed design influences the layout of the public-facing spaces. A variety of seating options are offered to accomplish OCH’s desire to have “non-waiting” waiting rooms, including strategic quiet zones like a nook under the stairs. Patients can comfortably maintain distance in the bright and open waiting spaces.
Cedar-wrapped canopies and handsome brick-clad exteriors contextualize OCH within the existing Hood River landscape.
All materials selected are inspired by the local landscape. From the water of the Gorge, basalt-like entrance tile, dark and light wood elements, and photography from the surrounding region. Interiors are reminiscent of the forest. The design uses splashes of color, textures, and a mix of furniture to break up the space.
OCH set out to build a new facility that would serve as more than just a medical building. The goals were ambitious, but the need for a comprehensive healthcare facility to deliver essential services to Hood River and the surrounding areas was high.
One Community Health: A new facility that reflects their level of service
The facility creates a palpable sense of excitement for staff and patients alike – the warm, forward-thinking spaces achieve OCH’s mission to create a facility able to advance health and social justice for all members of the community. The attention paid to detailing and the thoughtful programmatic planning provide all the required dense programmatic spaces in this 36,000 square foot building while still being transparent, bright, and welcoming.
“When I started in August of 2019 there was a gravel pad where the future clinic would sit. As construction proceeded, I witnessed the SEA team meticulously articulate the intention behind each design subtlety based on our intended use and patient experience. The SEA team also closely collaborated with our leadership team and the General Contractor to make modifications throughout construction to provide greater safety to our patient and staff. To support dental services, including aerosolizing procedures, SEA researched and recommended changes to improve our HVAC systems and helped us reconfigure dental rooms for negative pressure. The team pulled in experts as needed and did this quickly and with sensitivity to our budget and timeline.”
Acknowledgements
SEA Team
Lisa McClellan
Hayley Purdy
Ryan Yoshida
Evan Stravers
Dave Mojica
Cameron Cruse
Project Team
Bremik Construction
Interface Engineering
WDY, Inc.
Shapiro/Didway
HHPR
Photography Credits
Josh Partee
Quanta Collectiv
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