Houston — The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) announced they have joined together in a strategic alliance designed to advance the interests of engineering and healthcare facility professionals. IFMA and ASHE finalized this partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at World Workplace 2007 Conference & Expo in New Orleans, La.

“This is a great opportunity for our organizations to develop a working relationship that benefits both of our memberships,” said IFMA president and Chief Executive Officer David J. Brady. “We’ve identified a number of key objectives that we have in common — from professional development to research — and this agreement allows us to share these objectives with the public and our stakeholders.”

The Memorandum of Understanding outlines efforts to maintain effective communication, promote educational and research programs, create new products and services and collaborate with other professional organizations. It also encourages cooperative activities that promote professional development and certification and calls for the formation of joint task forces focused on sustainability and benchmarking.

“Recognizing our shared interest in improving the healthcare built environment, this Memorandum of Understanding creates a set of goals that are of mutual benefit to ASHE and IFMA members and the health care organizations they serve,” said ASHE Executive Director Dale Woodin. “By sharing the knowledge and experience of our respective members, we hope to accelerate our collective efforts to improve healing environments.”

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