This blog was featured in MC+D’s December 2018 E-Newsletter. Read that version here.  As part of a multi-site Behavioral Health Initiative (BHI) for Mercy Health, Array converted a shuttered med/surg floor at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky. This project was not without the inherent challenges of making a non-behavioral health space compliant, safe and comfortable […]

Project photography presented in a before-and-after format to allow readers to witness the med/surg-to-behavioral health transformation. CHALLENGE To properly care for their constituents, Mercy Health committed to a system-wide Behavioral Health Initiative to increase inpatient beds and partial hospitalization services. The most appropriate space at their Paducah, KY, facility was a shuttered med/surg unit which […]

Many of us will need to evaluate senior care for a loved one at some point in our adult lives. We also may need there to be a behavioral health component as part of that care model. My intuition of what contributes to a healing environment for this diverse population was verified during recent visioning […]

As a healthcare architect, I am often on-site at hospitals and health centers. Most projects give me the opportunity to get to know the facility’s staff and experience a bit of their day-to-day. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is the staff’s recognition that their needs have been fulfilled as they prepare to occupy […]

Challenge To support the community, Children’s National identified a growing need for additional pediatric behavioral health inpatient capacity. The space needs to embody healing in a safe, supportive environment catering to a wide age range, patients from four to 17 years. Solution The Unit is designed to appeal to both patients and families with a […]

Behavioral Health and Emergency Departments

The US healthcare landscape is ever changing due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Modifications to the law change healthcare delivery and provide access to insurance coverage to a large population of the previously uninsured. One of the largest underserved populations includes those with mental illnesses. In 2013 alone, an estimated 43.8 million US adults […]

Challenge With a diverse group of older residents requiring inpatient behavioral health services, the client prioritized converting and expanding a small med/surg unit to accommodate a higher census as well as correcting unit deficiencies such as sight lines, patient/staff safety and adequate space for therapeutic sessions and activities. To facilitate healing, it was desirable to […]

Featured in Behavioral Healthcare, July 2014. The design solutions for behavioral health facilities often requires unique innovations for common problems faced by caregivers on a daily basis. The best solutions are often the ones that are simple, elegant and, above all, durable. Patient Belongings A common problem we hear from our behavioral health clients is […]