Archives of Behavioral Health

Lighting strategies for behavioral healthcare

Breakthroughs in lighting are very likely the most exciting thing happening in design right now. Science is giving us all kinds of new information about the impact of lighting on our emotions, moods and even actions at the same time that the commonization of LED lighting is making it possible for us to act on […]
5 years ago

Inpatient Behavioral Health Profitability

There are such varied perceptions about if and how behavioral health inpatient units can be profitable.  One CFO of a medical/surgical hospital said, “The juice ain’t worth the squeeze”.  And, I have heard many CEOs of medical hospitals assume it isn’t profitable and felt it wasn’t worth the headache – until they actually saw the […]
5 years ago

Good Design is a Safety Feature

My world is Behavioral Healthcare. As a result, I spend a lot of time talking about safety. How do we eliminate ligature points, sharp corners or hiding spots? These are a really important part of the job, but today I want to talk about another safety idea that I think is also very important.
5 years ago

Joint Commission Ready?

Is your psychiatric hospital or unit ready for the next Joint Commission survey? Most leaders I speak to are confident they are. They have excellent staff, have hired a mock surveyor and are up to date on the most recent rules. Their last survey, 2 years ago, went very well. And yet, so many still […]
5 years ago

Patient Safety and Ligature Resistant Product Selection

Product selection seems like a benign issue.  People who work in healthcare want to do what is right, and they select products that make the most sense for their environment in terms of cost, availability, and marketing materials.  Product selection is important for so many reasons. In an effort to prepare for Joint Commission and […]
5 years ago

Daylight and views in the social and therapeutic spaces

Countless studies have shown the importance of accessing daylight and views in Healthcare spaces and specifically in Behavioral Healthcare spaces. The goal of the BH environment is to normalize patients as part of their treatment; to help them create a sense of rigor and structure to their day. Access to the sun as the driver […]
5 years ago

Social Dynamics in Behavioral Health Settings

As I write this, I am working from home, self-isolated to do my part to flatten the curve during the COVID-19 outbreak. Hopefully that is all over when you read this. Giving up things like going to a coffee house or restaurant has me thinking about what makes us want to go there in the […]
5 years ago

Circadian Lighting: A different viewpoint

  Circadian lighting is all the rage these days. That makes me happy. I think intentionally selected lighting frequencies can make a tremendous impact on the overall feel of a space and nowhere is this technology more useful than in Behavioral Healthcare. What doesn’t make me happy is how many designers are choosing to implement […]
5 years ago

Behavioral Health Emergency Departments

A little boy was brought into an Emergency Department with a broken arm. After being triaged by the nurse, a doctor examined him and determined that the broken arm was his only medical condition. He explained to the boy’s parents that he wasn’t trained to treat broken arms, but that he would try to get […]
5 years ago