In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, design standards are evolving to address airborne infectious disease transmission in healthcare facilities. Strategies such as increasing outdoor air ventilation and filtration efficiency can reduce infection risk, but they also raise energy use and carbon emissions, often with diminishing returns. This presentation explores where the balance lies—when incremental safety gains are outweighed by economic and environmental costs—and how the new ASHRAE Standard 241 and its concept of equivalent clean air can guide more adaptable, performance-based design. Aimed at all practitioners in healthcare facility design, this session highlights what every architect, engineer, and planner should know about achieving safe, sustainable, and resilient healing environments that protect patient health without compromising energy and climate goals. Core Competencies: Strategic Planning, Design, Space Planning and Programming, Equipment Planning, Computer Principles and Applications AIA Course Number: 2026.03.006 AIA LU/HSW: 1 LU/HSW