Hospitals and Health Care Facilities have their own unique noise and vibration requirements. In particular, concerns over patient privacy, driven in part by the Privacy Rule within the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), demand that hospitals be configured so that personal information can not be overheard and that patients will be treated in a safe and secure environment. Some medical procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can generate considerable noise that may impact other hospital functions. Finally, patients and healthcare professionals must have a comfortable acoustical environment. Vibration, whether from people walking or because of mechanical systems, can have a significant impact on surgical microscopes, operating procedures, high-powered microscopes, MRI equipment and other instruments, as well as the comfort of patients. Often the vibration requirements for medical instruments and procedures are considerably more stringent than those of standard office buildings. The staff of Colin Gordon & Associates has extensive experience with healthcare facilities ranging from diagnoses of noise and vibration problems for small outpatient clinics to full-service consulting for the design of new hospitals. Consulting and Design Services: Vibration and noise site studies MRI facility vibration site studies Interpretation of instrument noise and vibration criteria Selection of noise and vibration criteria Input on space planning and layout Input on structural designs to control vibration Diagnoses of operating room noise and vibration problems Evaluation of patient privacy concerns and development of solutions Recent Projects: Thomason General Hospital, El Paso Texas Cedar-Sinai Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion, Los Angeles California The Children’s Hospital, Denver Colorado Ft. Belvoir Community Hospital, Baltimore Maryland Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara California UC Irvine Medical Center, Irvine California St Agnes Hospital, Fresno California University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Texas UC Davis Medical Center - Cancer Center Expansion, Davis California John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek California Intermountain Medical Center, Salt Lake City Utah