Though I'm writing this in the middle of February, and some of you might be reading in early March, I would like to extend wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year to all of our Healthcare Building Ideas readers! Given the cloudy outlook for healthcare construction and the economy in 2010, however, it might perhaps be better to simply wish for a “break even” New Year, or even a “stay out of the red” New Year. Hopefully by this time next year, the industry will be back on track in full. Hopefully.
In any case, our Vendome publishing team is excited to be entering our second full year at the HBI helm. As we were still finding our feet for the first portion of 2009, we truly feel that this is the first “full” year under our own steam, as there was still a bit of overlap with the old regime for the first few issues last year. We've assembled a full Editorial Calendar for the year that we think will further deepen our mission for the magazine: to focus on the vital communication between design, construction, and facility teams that are responsible for the construction and engineering of healthcare buildings, as that communication is key to all involved and to a successful project.
While we do have a year of experience under our belts (and another nine years with our sister publication, HEALTHCARE DESIGN), we do still want to hear from you about the issues that you feel need to be addressed here-you are the experts, after all. While you can always send me ideas or comments via e-mail (thutlock@vendomegrp.com), there are a number of other avenues open to HBI readers, such as our blog on http://www.healthcarebuildingideas.com, and our new regular “Forum” column. In fact, this issue's “Forum,” found on page 35, grew from a blog post made by reader Robert Wilson. Your voice is important to us, and we want to make sure you are heard in print and on the Web.
I look forward to a productive 2010, and hope for the same for all of you. HBI
