Douglas Erickson, FASHE, CHFM, HFDP, CHC
President, TME Inc. (Little Rock, Ark.); CEO, Facility Guidelines Institute; Chair, FGI Health Guidelines Revision Committee

Who he is: Among the founding board members for the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI), Erickson has served as chair of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee for the 2010, 2014, and now 2018 revision cycles of FGI’s Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities, a building standard used by healthcare providers, design professionals, and local jurisdictional authorities. Erickson took on an even larger role in the organization in 2012, when he was named CEO of FGI.

Year in review: The FGI guidelines are updated every four years through a consensus process, and 2013 brought that process to a close for the 2014 edition that’s scheduled to be released in March. This iteration brought a new addition to the table with the new Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities, a separate book that provides recommendations for new construction and renovation of nursing homes, hospice facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living settings, adult day care facilities, wellness centers, and outpatient rehabilitation centers.

While guiding the consensus process for the two 2014 guidelines by leading a group of more than 120 volunteers charged with updating the text, Erickson was also busy promoting state adoption of the documents, speaking at events, and answering industry members’ questions on updates and requests for interpretation. To boot, Erickson was honored in 2013 with the American Society for Healthcare Engineering’s lifetime achievement Crystal Eagle Award, which recognizes those who have been instrumental in the creation and optimization of healing environments.

What’s next: Erickson says that with the 2014 edition wrapped up, this upcoming year is about education. He and his FGI colleagues will be attending industry conferences and holding monthly webinars to highlight the changes made since 2010 and why. With 2014 out the door, that also means the 2018 process has begun—Erickson and FGI’s revision committee will be working to improve the revision process and establish a specialty subgroup focused on outpatient care facilities to prepare for the next installment.

THE HCD 10 (click any winner's name for more information):

  • Owner: David Schuller, vice president of medical center expansion and outreach, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (Columbus, Ohio)
  • Architect: Laura Poltronieri, principal, Poltronieri Tang & Associates (Swarthmore, Pa.)
  • Association/foundation executive: Douglas Erickson, CEO, Facility Guidelines Institute (Dallas)
  • Interior designer: Carolyn BaRoss, design principal, Perkins+Will (New York)
  • Researcher: Sheila Bosch, director of research, Gresham, Smith and Partners (Tampa, Fla.)
  • Construction executive: Carlos Gonzalez, project director, Clark/McCarthy, A Joint Venture (Costa Mesa, Calif.)
  • Educator: James Shraiky, assistant professor, director of healthcare design initiatives, Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.)
  • Facility manager: Mitch Goplen, vice president and director of facility services and construction, Billings Clinic (Billings, Mont.)
  • Rising star: David Ruthven, co-lead and creative director, NXT Health (New York)
  • Firm of the year: Perkins+Will (worldwide)