 |
Designing the Highthorse Campbell Native Health BuildingArticle submitted by Dana L. Berry, CU-Health Sciences Center, Office of Public Relations. Colorado is home to one of the nation's most advanced American Indian and Alaska Native health care programs, located on the new Fitzsimons campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. The $13.3 million Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building is a state-of-the-art facility designed to exemplify the culture, tradition and heritage of Native American people. To incorporate the Native American culture into its interior design, CU-Health Sciences Center relied on the expertise of Denver-based Gallun Snow Associates, a women-owned-and-operated interior design firm. Gallun Snow Associates, together with M+O+A Architecture, sought input from the Native American consulting firm Medicine Root to best exemplify the Native American culture. "The total project was conceived inside and out around the Native American customs and beliefs," said Margie Snow, co-owner of Gallun Snow Associates. "The architect took great care to site the building in reference to the seasonal solstice, and the interior design elements are intended to reflect and embrace the Native American culture." Nature and symbolism play an integral role in the design of the Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building. The building's curvilinear design expresses the Native American belief that the circle represents the dwelling place created by the Great Spirit for all people. In the rotunda, natural light shines down from a giant skylight accented by seven Douglas Fir logs, which symbolize love, honor, respect, courage, honesty, reciprocity and family. The entrance of the building is on the East, reflecting the Native American tradition that the sun should greet you each morning. The use of natural stone, masonry and wood materials throughout the building are harmonious with many Native American traditions. "We took inspiration from nature and incorporated earthy colors and organic materials in the design, with fabric colors derived from plants, and fabric patterns based on Native American pottery designs," Snow said. The use of sandstone and slate in the entryway flooring, and a textured basket weave carpet design also add to the natural theme. A four-color medicine wheel is depicted on the center of the entryway floor, displaying the directions and representing the seasonal solstice. Ben Sherman, president of Medicine Root, Inc, said the seasonal solstice played an integral role in Native American culture. "The solstice and equinox points have always been important to Native tribes," Sherman said. "The Eastern direction of the building is aligned with the winter solstice, which occurs Dec. 21, when the sun is at its lowest point on the horizon." Sherman said the shortest day of the year, during the winter solstice, represents renewal and regeneration to Native people, and the longest day of the year, during the summer solstice, represents fulfillment. "The solstice affected hunting season, harvesting, planting work, and ceremonial times," Sherman, a member of the Ogalala Lakoata Sioux tribe, notes. The Medicine Wheel is also a reflection of the traditional Native American beliefs that there is a "circle of life connecting all living things in the world," Sherman said. "The medicine wheel is symbolic. To some tribes, it represents healing. The four sections of the medicine wheel represent the four elements of human nature: physical, spiritual, mental and emotional." The medicine wheel serves to balance the factors between the mind, body and spirit, relaying harmony and good health, Sherman said. "The entire facility serves to provide balance and harmony in the lives of Native Americans," Sherman said. "The facility is also about renewal and regeneration." The 100-seat capacity training room is expressed as a kiva, a round forum of stone on the western side of the building. In the Native American culture, a kiva is symbolic of a sacred place for gathering, where things are shared. Spero Manson, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Head of the American Indian and Alaska Native Programs and a member of the Pembina Chippewa tribe, said it was fitting that the auditorium represent a kiva, since this will be the meeting place for the majority of educational sessions. Manson also notes that the soaring 50-foot ceiling of the rotunda is symbolic of the connection between heaven and earth. The American Indian and Alaska Native Programs promote the physical, psychological and spiritual well being of American Indians and Alaska Natives of all ages. The programs will address issues found on reservations such as high unemployment levels and limited specialty health care, in addition to overcoming cultural barriers and improving the mind, body and spirit connection. One such program will study how the strength of the mother-child relationship translates to psychological, physical and emotional state later in life. Other research programs include American Indian spirituality and alcohol; family care giving; and healing the spirit. Also in the Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building is the TeleHealth/TeleEducation programs, a clinical studio and multimedia production space that support the Division of American Indian and Alaska Native Health Programs, as well as the University's outreach programs to rural Colorado and the region. Because the building is very high-tech, Snow said the design team worked together to blend traditional elements with contemporary design. "We took a contemporary lean on the interior design direction because the building is state-of-the-art. We wanted the design to reflect the services inside, which are technology-related programs," Snow said. "The design marries format and function," Manson said. "We combine state-of-the art technology with the culture of the population the building represents. The design of the building blends a modern academic setting with the longstanding cultural beliefs of American Indian and Alaska Native people." Technology also plays a major role in the Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building, as one of the primary goals of the American Indian and Alaska Native Programs is to bridge the "digital divide"-the gap between those who can effectively access and use information and communication tools such as the Internet, and those who can not-commonly found in rural areas or reservations. Presently, a total of 10 reservations in South Dakota, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Washington and Alaska receive broadcast lectures through the CU-Health Sciences Center's TeleEducation programs. Colorado's Native American reservations, which include the Ute Mountain Ute tribe and the Southern Ute tribe, are located in the Southwest corner of the state. Manson notes that at this time, the telecommunications infrastructure is nonexistent in that region, but he hopes to soon expand access to better serve these communities. "Our goal is to improve the health and well being of American Indians and Alaska Natives across the entire lifecycle. Technology plays an essential role in our ability to accomplish this goal, by reaching remote, isolated Native communities in this state as well as across the country," he said. Jay Shore, MD, a clinician in the American Indian and Alaska Native Programs department, said the design and function of the building provides an innovative healthcare model for Native Americans. In his work with Native American veterans, he is able to provide counseling and therapy through state-of-the-art teleconferencing features just as if it were a face-to-face session. "We're providing one-on-one therapy, only it's on camera," Shore said. "The interaction is the same as if it were in person." Although Shore notes that there are no physical treatment rooms, treatment is provided through the convenience of direct video conferencing. This enables the clinicians to work with tribes as far away as Alaska. "We're in the developmental stages of creating a teleconferencing program to an Alaska-based nursing home that serves Native American elders," Shore said. The design of the building also makes it the ideal meeting place, Shore said. The center serves as a hub for nearly 110 faculty members, two-thirds of whom are trained at CU-Health Sciences Center but who work on the reservations. The building "encompasses research, TeleHealth, clinical and administrative departments," Shore said. "Without the TeleHealth programs, these Native Americans would not be receiving any treatment," Shore said. "We're working with isolated, rural communities, revolutionizing the way we provide healthcare, research and education. The use of interactive technology contributes to better healthcare, and expands our commitment to enhancing diversity." The building was named in honor of Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a staunch supporter of CU's American Indian health program who helped garner critical funding for the Fitzsimons redevelopment project, the largest medical-related redevelopment project in the U.S. The $4.3 billion endeavor is anchored by a new campus for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the affiliated Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora, where seventeen biotechnology companies have already set up operations. The workforce at Fitzsimons is projected to reach 5,000 by the end of 2004 and to exceed 30,000 at completion. FACTS |
 |
Back |
|
© Copyright 2000-2008 SeniorsResourceGuide.com. All Rights Reserved. Site designed and maintained by Web Publishing and Services, Inc. |