Healthcare Design - October 2015 - 50

Caring for kids

tions for parents, including a locking cabinet to store
personal items, two beds, a communication board,
and a family bathroom on the unit. The set-up gives
needed support to young patients while allowing parents time to observe their child and learn techniques
from the staff on how to better manage behavior after
discharge. "Families appreciate being welcomed
onto the unit, having involvement, and understanding
what's going on with their child," Felker says.
Just as in adult treatment facilities, there's also
an effort to make room for multiple activity spaces,
including exercise rooms and classrooms where students can complete their schoolwork during their stay.
Another trend is the need for flexible spaces that
can adapt to the needs of a spectrum of patient ages.
"You've got children who can't read all the way up to
young adults who could be in college, at the same facility," says Tim Rommel, principal at Cannon Design.
To overcome this challenge, he prefers to design large
units that can be easily transformed into smaller sections or sub-units where patients can be separated by
age, gender, or diagnosis.
This flexible approach also allows the staff to close off certain
areas, such as a hallway or wing, to a patient in crisis so he or
she can have space to express emotions under staff supervision,
reducing the need for seclusion rooms. "Seattle Children's has a
hands-off approach," Felker says. "They will not physically restrain
a child unless they're really doing something to physically harm
themselves or another person."

HCDmagazine.com 10.15

Top: The new 32-bed Virginia Treatment Center For
Children being built at the Virginia Commonwealth
University Medical Center's Medical College of Virginia
campus in Richmond, Va., will have a half-court gym,
dining areas, and outside recreational areas and
gardens. The building's two-story entrance will also
house a Children's Mental Health Resource Center
with shared training and conference rooms. Above: At
Seattle Children's Hospital's Psychiatry and Behavioral
Medicine Unit, patient room amenities include flexible,
damage-free mobile furniture, two beds (one for the
patient and one for the parent/caregiver), a mirror and
outlet for grooming, communication board, and locked
storage drawer.

CANNON DESIGN (VIRGINIA TREATMENT CENTER); AARON LEITZ (SEATTLE CHILDREN'S)

The evolution toward less institutionalized behavioral healthcare environments is also influencing the
design of care spaces dedicated to younger populations. For starters, gone are the days when parents
were locked out of a facility and permitted to see
their child for only 20 minutes a day. Instead, today's
adolescent and children's mental hospitals are welcoming parents in-and inviting them to stay. "If a six
year old was in the hospital to have their tonsils out, it
would be unusual not to have a parent stay overnight
with that child," says Tammy Felker, an associate
partner at ZGF. "We're seeing a similar approach in
behavioral healthcare now."
At Seattle Children's Hospital's Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit, designed by ZGF, the private
patient bedrooms are designed with accommoda-

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Healthcare Design - October 2015

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