Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., recently received the American College of Healthcare Architects' (ACHA) inaugural Legacy Project Award, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website. 

The award is the first of its kind and recognizes design innovation that endures throughout the life of a healthcare project, the article said. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., was also recognized. 

When Griffin opened its north wing patient care building in 1994 it was the first building to be designed and constructed based on the Planetree care model and a prototype of patient-focused care. 

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has used Griffin Hospital as a case study to illustrate the value of evidence-based hospital design and how a hospital's environment can measurably affect patient outcomes as well as patient and staff safety, the article said.

Read the article.