The Nightingale Awards are the industry’s fi rst and most prestigious healthcare-product design competition. Sponsored by Contract magazine in association with The Center for Health Design and Vendome Group, LLC (publishers of HEALTHCARE DESIGN) and judged by a panel of healthcare facilities executives and interior designers, the Nightingale Awards recognize the best new products exhibited at the annual HEALTHCARE DESIGN conference. This year’s winners—announced at HEALTHCARE DESIGN.06 last November in Chicago—are presented below. Our congratulations go to all of them.

The Annina Series by IoA Healthcare Furniture


2006 marked the second consecutive Nightingale Award for IoA Healthcare Furniture and the third in fi ve years. This most recent honor went to the company’s Annina Series.

The Annina Series introduces a new level of comfort and support to waiting rooms, where sitting for endless hours in a state of fatigue and distress is a common experience. By combining reclining chairs and standard chairs within a multiple seating row, the Annina gives tired visitors a chance to relax and cope with a potentially long and stressful wait.

The Annina features a patented roll-out ottoman that is extremely durable and will support the weight of someone sitting on it. Bariatric versions of the Annina are also available.

For more information, visit http://www.ioa-hcf.com.

LaRestaTM Day Bed by KI


KI’s Nightingale Award for the company’s new LaResta day bed marks the second consecutive year that the company has won the prestigious award; KI’s Soltice® furniture collection won an award in 2005.

LaResta is meant to provide a solution for the increased demand for guest sleepovers in patient rooms. LaResta offers a comfortable sofa solution that can accommodate up to four adults, then easily converts to a sleep surface with storage options for personal bedding. Its built-in cushion design prevents its components from contacting the floor, reducing the risk of infection being spread. Custom options include extensive variations on dimensions and multiple design styles to suit a range of hospital interiors.

LaResta is constructed of solid beech wood and features a sturdy varnish that withstands stringent hospital cleaners. It also features easily replaceable components and an internal structure of sustainable material.

For more information, visit http://www.kihealthcare.com.

Sittris BA Bariatric Seating by


SittrisSittris made their debut at HEALTHCARE DESIGN.06, and it was a memorable one, as the new healthcare seating company took home the Nightingale Best of Competition Award for Sittris BA, the company’s seating solution for bariatric patients. Designed for Sittris by Helen Kerr of Toronto-based Kerr & Company, Sittris BA is the result of extensive research with bariatic patients to better understand their seating needs.

Sittris BA is designed to accommodate the size and shape of patients from 350 to more than 500 lbs. The chair’s sculpted lumbar area accommodates excess skin and allows full access to the patient’s back and torso, helping prevent patient and caregiver injuries during lifting or seated care. The lumbar area and fabric options promote airflow around the patient, as well, helping prevent common bariatric skin problems that result from sweating. Sustain and Microcare® fabric options prevent microbial growth and are impermeable to fluids, as well as being easily cleanable with just soap and water. Sittris BA’s arm height, flatter seat pan, and slightly sloped back provide comfort and relieve pressure for bariatric patients.

Sittris BA offers few style differences from other Sittris seating products, maximizing patient dignity by avoiding stereotypes associated with some chairs intended for bariatric patients.

For more information, call 1.866.701.4673 or visit http://www.sittris.com.