Insights
Dec 11, 2024 _ insights
Transforming Pediatric Mental Health: An Innovative Design & Care Model
We recently presented at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo and were joined by Dr. Joseph Luria MD, vice president of mental health operations at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Dr. Lyndsey Deaton, assistant professor at Clemson University. Our session highlighted the transformative inpatient care model and facility design at Cincinnati Children’s William K. Schubert M.D. Mental Health Center. This case study emphasizes spatial programming and design supporting a unique care model, simulating a day school experience by moving patient cohorts throughout the building for diverse treatment programs. Key design decisions, operational insights, and preliminary research findings from pre- and post-occupancy evaluations were shared. Lessons learned in balancing construction costs, facility resiliency, and maintenance challenges offer valuable insights into prioritizing patient well-being in healthcare facility design and operations.
As part of the Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) we are conducting for this facility, we established a triad research partnership between Cincinnati Children’s, GBBN, and the Architecture + Health Program at Clemson University. GBBN sponsored a team of Clemson researchers, led by Dr. Lyndsey Deaton, together with a total of eight doctoral and master’s students, to help observe milieu spaces over two semesters.
This study fills a research gap by exploring common space within the inpatient pediatric behavioral health facility, focusing on milieu spaces that support this care model and patient recovery. The multi-phase POE will collect and compare several post-occupancy datasets, aiming to provide in-depth insights into how spaces influence the behaviors of patients and staff members. Once the study is complete, we will share our results. We’ll also use the findings to publish a one-of-a-kind toolkit that can help the pediatric health community better understand how behavioral health facility design can impact operations and outcomes. Why is this important? Adolescents are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental and behavioral health issues with 1 in 5 American children and young adults experiencing a mental health disorder each year. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14. Leading pediatric health systems are leveraging every tool, including facility design, to improve how they support and treat adolescent mental health.
See our Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo presentation here.
Learn more about pediatric behavioral health at Cincinnati Children’s here.
Read more of our pediatric behavioral health insights here.
See our healthcare work here.
Shan Jiang, Ph.D is an associate principal and the director of research at GBBN. An established researcher, educator, and thought leader, she has published dozens of articles in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences, and recently published a full monograph with Routledge on therapeutic landscapes, healthcare design, and sustainable community development. At GBBN, Shan leads firm-wide research efforts, helping design teams in all markets conduct research while drawing on the best, established research to inform their work.
Michael Lied, LEED AP is a principal and director of healthcare at GBBN. He is passionate about reducing anxiety as people engage with healthcare environments. He’s driven to enhance health and well-being for all through future-focused planning, insightful programming, moments of respite, and great design. Michael brings together technology, market research analysis, innovative consultants, and multi-disciplinary teams of architects, designers, sustainability experts, and fabricators to find the right solution to his clients’ biggest challenges. His work on oncology environments and issues includes CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center Cancer Care Facility, TriHealth’s Thomas Center for Comprehensive Care and GBBN’s Oncology Symposium.
