The Service Design Network New York Chapter featured the Emergency Design Collective at their most recent virtual Meetup to learn how they’re tackling problems and finding solutions to healthcare during the global pandemic.

In response to a potential blood shortage triggered by a shelter-in-place order in the San Francisco area, a multidisciplinary team at an academic medical center partnered with a major blood provider to create a safe and sustainable blood drive model during the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of a broad effort to disseminate this model, they describe the process in this case study.

Leaders at a 150-bed community hospital in California partnered with a collective of human-centered designers to rapidly address a sudden drop in emergency department visits after a statewide stay-at-home order was issued. The initiative developed targeted messaging to assuage patient fears about safety and remind patients not to ignore heart and stroke symptoms.

In June, EDC co-founders Amanda Sammann, MD and Nick Dawson, MHA partnered with The Gap to share the dos and don’ts of wearing a mask to keep us, our families, and our communities safe.