2022 Healthcare Design Conference + Exhibition will take place October 8-11 in San Antonio. The annual event will offer a variety of keynotes and breakout sessions on a variety of topics.
health design previews some of the upcoming educational sessions in a Q&A series with speakers, sharing what they plan to discuss and the key points they plan to offer attendees.
Session: Operational and Design Considerations for Pediatric Mental HealthOctober 11, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Speakers: Francis Pitts, Director, Architecture+; Sherri Reyes, behavioral health consultant, Human eXperience.
This presentation will discuss the unique challenges in designing for pediatric mental health treatment. The discussion will include
unique design challenges, but also the role of operations in informing design and program decisions to deliver projects that are clinically effective and financially viable.
health design: What changes have you seen in recent years in the way health systems talk about or approach pediatric mental health?
Frank Pitts andd Sherri Reyes: It is the trifecta. Many health systems are:
- Now talking about addressing mental health.
- Many hospital emergency departments, medical/surgical floors, and first responders are providing care at an unprecedented rate and for higher acuity children and adolescents. This has resulted in exponential increases in staff costs and the depletion of valuable hospital resources.
- Many hospital systems are actively trying to convert higher demands into opportunities to care for children and adolescents in psychiatric crisis in a safer, more therapeutic and economically viable continuum of care.
How is dIs designing for young people with mental illness different from designing for adults?
Pitts and Reyes: Operationally, the thinking is similar. Hospitals must first understand who they are treating in terms of ages and diagnoses, while also considering treatment resources and the hospital’s operational and financial goals.
Children and adolescents experience a variety of diagnostic and treatment needs within an inpatient setting. To allow for evidence-based treatments targeted to each diagnostic population while addressing behavioral challenges, grouping children into groups based on age and diagnostic needs is indicated where possible.
Nor can we take anything for granted when designing spaces for young people in terms of safety and supervision. They are more creative and motivated to find vulnerabilities within the environment and then create their own entertainment. They are smarter than us, and that should keep us on our toes.
What are some of the alternative treatment settings that are best suited for young patients?
Pitts and Reyes: Systems that have supported the development of a comprehensive continuum of mental health care have the greatest flexibility and agility to ensure they have the most responsive levels of care and staff resources to support children in the least restrictive program possible.
There are pediatric hospitals that are improving continuity of care to include alternative treatments consistent with current clinical research (eg, electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, infusion therapies), beyond the traditional pediatric psychiatric emergency department, hospitalization , residential, partial hospitalization, intensive care outpatient and traditional outpatient services.
Clinically, involving children’s families in treatment is the best way to support meaningful and effective treatment plans for children. Mental health design is synchronizing the clinical needs of children and families with the built environment.
This is achieved by providing a wide range of family accommodations ranging from family education centers, family lounges on inpatient floors, supervised play space for siblings, daybeds for parents in inpatient rooms, and purpose-built Ronald McDonald support facilities.
What is one takeaway from your session that you hope attendees walk away with?
Pitts and Reyes: There is no single solution for mental health. Each facility has different needs, which vary by hospital, market, and state. Understanding the clinical, operational, and financial opportunities and challenges specific to each hospital is essential to creating solutions that address the true needs of children, families, the hospital, and the community.
For more information on the HCD Conference schedule and registration, visit hcexpo.com.
