Tour of the New Main Cambridge Public Library

Clifford V. Gayley, AIA, LEED AP, a Principal of William Rawn Associates led 22 CAH members around the new Main Cambridge Public Library. At the beginning of the tour the group discovered that one of the CAH members in attendance was Cliff's former professor! This was not surprising as CAH membership includes many educators and engaged community members.

The tour started downstairs in one of the fabulous new lecture halls where the group viewed slides of the project's progression over the last several years. Mr. Gayley explained that the decision was made not to match the aesthetic of the old building, but to design a building that would be equally appropriate for its time.

The project included a significant renovation of a 4 acre City Park surrounding the library. The preserved open space is over six times the footprint of the library. The building features a transparent double skin facade designed to celebrate its relationship to the park and give the building an open, welcoming feel.

The highlight of the tour for many of us was the Children's floor. We were greeted at the lowered reception desk by a hampster running around on his wheel. The room featured bamboo floors, a colorful, forest like ceiling and, a textured "stone" carpet where we observed an informal book reading and many gleeful children playing with toys.

Mr. Gayley told the group that since the opening of the new main library building, book circulation has doubled. After visiting, we can understand why this has become such a popular destination and look forward to using this space frequently for gatherings in the future!

A Jazzy Winter Afternoon

On, Sunday January 10, CAH members gathered at the home of Herbert and Pat Pratt for a piano performance by Will Armstrong, a student at the New England Conservatory. Will transported us from a living room to what felt like a classy jazz bar with his surprising and impressive original compositions of well-known tunes including old favorites like Body and Soul and It Could Happen to You. There were very few idle feet in the house as we swayed to the music and tapped to the beat.

Will Armstrong grew up outside the Washington D.C. area where he was immersed in the jazz tradition of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Through high school and much of college he studied with the late Calvin Jones, the founder of the U.D.C. jazz studies program and trombonist of the original Ray Charles Big Band. In 2003 Will graduated from Gonzaga, an all male inner city Jesuit high school, and continued to pursue degrees in English and music at Boston College (BC). At BC Will began to study classical and twentieth century repertoire and composition under the guidance of composer Ralf Gawlick. Since graduation Will has been studying at the New England Conservatory and has been mentored by the great Benito Gonzalez of the Kenny Garret Quartet.

Following the concert, members asked questions about Will's training and technique. After a brief Q & A session, we had a chance to mingle with the musician and other members while enjoying wine, hors d'oeuvres, and delicious Russian tea served by the host and hostess.

A Conversation about Health-Care Delivery

Even after health-insurance reform, the United States faces huge tasks ahead in improving the quality of health care, according to Drs. Donald Berwick and Howard Hiatt of Harvard University, who addressed more than 60 members and guests of Cambridge At Home on January seventh. In the third of a lecture series held in the Piper Auditorium of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, they described enormous gaps in medical outcomes and costs between the United States and some 20 other developed nations.

Among statistics they cited was a scandalous overuse of CAT scans in the United States. Over 60 million such tests are performed annually in a population of 300 million people, meaning that every year one in five Americans undergoes the procedure. In addition to the unnecessary costs, Dr Hiatt noted that each CAT scan delivers the equivalent in radiation of 400 chest x-rays.

Excessive use of specialized tests is not necessary and is not universal throughout the United States, they reported. A number of communities, such as Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Everett, WA; and Tallahassee, Florida keep Medicare costs significantly below average. Health agencies in Cedar Rapids cooperate to accomplish this by limiting the number of specialized services offered and the number of hospital beds available.

Several organizations study such communities to determine whether their success in containing medical costs while maintaining or surpassing the average national level of medical outcomes can be translated into a national program. Among them are the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, of which Dr. Berwick is the President and CEO, and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. For more information, please refer to an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times on August 13, by Drs. Berwick, Atul Gawande, Elliott Fisher, and Mark McClellan (www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/opinion/13gawande.html).