Page 14 - SOUTH FLORIDA HOSPITAL NEWS & HEALTHCARE REPORT JUNE 2022

HEALTHCARE REAL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN & FACILITY PLANNING

Advances in Mental Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare workers around critical need. Waits of up ties must also consider caregivers. Safety ment opportunities under a single roof.
the globe have long realized to three months for psy- features must be incorporated into the Be it individual sessions, group therapy
the additional need for chologists and longer for design and appropriate barriers put in activity rooms, medical or drug thera-
behavioral healthcare psychiatrists are now the place to protect caregivers and other staff pies, the design of new facilities will
providers and clinics. With norm, not the exception. in the event of a potentially violent situ- enhance treatment through a warm and
the ongoing pandemic, a sig- Existing mental health ation. Caregivers need to feel safe within soothing environment.
nificant layer of stress has facilities have quickly their center, knowing they will not be As an architect, I have always believed
been added to the public, in become overcrowded trapped. that good design can assist with positive
addition to the general polar- and obsolete. Modern Additionally, the design of a behav- clinical outcomes. Our mental health
ization we are witnessing facilities need to address ioral health center needs to have the outpatient facilities should be warm and
across the country. The this as well as the new appropriate spaces, as much natural inviting spaces, conveying a sense of
results of stress, anxiety, and philosophies and med- light as possible, and outdoor spaces for respect to facility clients. The interiors
other mood disorders play BY CHARLES A. ications in treating men- caregivers to decompress and prepare for of these facilities should allow the safety
themselves out over the daily MICHELSON, AIA, tal illness, such as psy- their next client. and comfortable flow of people without
news with pointless attacks ACHA, LEED AP chedelic therapy that are As with any other modality of health- bottlenecks. As much natural light as
and crimes that are incom- clinician-prescribed care, changes and advancement require possible should also be incorporated
prehensible under most cir- guided experiences. the appropriately designed facilities to into the space, as the benefits of any bio-
cumstances. Special consideration must also focus on best service our community, requiring philic architecture have been well docu-
The need for more mental health behavioral health clinic acoustics, since updated facilities than those designed in mented.
providers and newer facilities has never emotional conversation can be loud, the past. Mental health telemedicine is
been more important. The increased tearful, and sometimes hostile as part of also one component of improved treat- Charles Michelson is President of Saltz
need for this type of healthcare now con- therapy. ment. Better outpatient facilities need to Michelson Architects.
sists of long wait periods for those in The design of behavioral health facili- be provided that offer a variety of treat- For more information,
visitwww.saltzmichelson.com.

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14 June 2022 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News