Insights & Solutions

Learn about how the design of a new psychiatric facility strives to normalize mental illness through carefully chosen materials with the goal of creating a “homey,” non-institutional setting, why private patient rooms will be included in the new final building as an important part of the design concept, and how research helped shape the architects’ beliefs that the built environment should support patients’ dignity and independence as part of the recovery process.

Learn about how a county directive to relocate different behavioral health programs into one location led to a unique design for serving low to high-risk populations in an integrated facility, and how collaboration among the architect, interior designer, landscape architect, owner, staff, and clients played an integral role in shaping the programming and design.

Behavioral and mental health (BMH) conditions affect one in five adults in the United States each year, and are even more common among patients receiving care for medical conditions. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the spectrum of BMH conditions includes anxiety, attention deficit disorders, autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and suicide, among others. Up to 45% of patients admitted to the hospital for a medical condition or presenting to the emergency department with a minor injury also have a concurrent BMH condition. These BMH comorbidities increase the risk of psychological harm associated with care.

As part of the Behavioral & Mental Health toolbox, in this issue brief you will learn about the prevalence of behavioral and mental health conditions as comorbidities; design strategies for promoting psychological wellness; and a systematic benefit analysis approach to meet the psychological needs of all.

The goal of this project was to establish a 960,000-square foot greenfield site. Regional hospital is being designed, built, financed and maintained (DBFM) for 30 years in Ontario, Canada under an AFP (Alternative Finance Procurement) process, a form of public private partnership delivery, which is now the norm in most of Canada, Europe and Australia.

The goal of this project was to design of the new Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) Emergency Department would be guided by the following four values: timely, respectful, quality care, and a place where people would want to come to work.

ERDMAN  Firm's role on the project: Rebranding, Rehoming  

EBD Goal

To create a best-in-class patient-centered medical home model, while overcoming the challenges of rebranding and relocating the organization into a new location and renovated space. 

Overview

The goal of this project was to create a soothing, comfortable environment that would envelope patients and families and function well for the center's staff, while providing ease of access for patients. To design efficiencies that would translate to fast response times and streamlining of service lines that would lead to cost reduction.