A patient-focused, welcoming healthcare experience is no longer an extravagant. That's what consumers are asking for.
And it all starts with a first impression.
As soon as patients pass through the facility doors, their experience of care begins. Incorporating a more homely environment, especially in behavioral health centers, can increase patient comfort and satisfaction. A study commissioned by NHS Scotland shows that warm lighting, single bedrooms and natural lighting are particularly effective.
Scott Anthes, senior project manager at Clark Construction Group, said these thoughtful and intentional design trends are becoming the industry standard.
“It's essential to stay away from the cold, institutional atmosphere,” Antes said. “No one wants to develop such an environment. Our goal is to design and build an environment that truly supports healing, and this involves thinking outside the box and being creative.”
Anthes will speak at the Pacific Northwest Healthcare Conference in Bisnow, held in Seattle on October 16th.
Please register here.
Speaking to Anthes, Bisnow learned more about the trends in the market, how Clark Construction is working to provide users with a more patient-centered experience, and the challenges facing healthcare operators today.
Bisnow: What trends have you seen in the healthcare sector in the Pacific Northwest this year?
anthes: The demand for behavioral health facilities is more than ever before. New construction remains a key component of the sector, but in contrast to new construction, the focus is strengthened on renovations of existing structures. As we face tariffs and material uncertainty, many people are becoming creative in the way they design and build projects to guide them to pencils. Projects that focus on patient experiences and feel like traditional hospitals also gain traction.
Bisnow: This event discusses the transformation of behavioral health spaces. Do you think there is the greatest potential to change these spaces?
anthes: The big focus of what we saw at the new Forensic Hospital Project at Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Washington, is distant from the institutional atmosphere. That's the last thing everyone wants to create. We want to create a better environment for patients to heal.
There are several classics in behavioral health projects, such as ligature and tamper resistant components and security caulking. But it's very important to find a way to incorporate larger windows, more calming and something that really focuses on access to nature.
Western State Hospital has several courtyards that become areas where patients can go. Some are recreational on volleyball and basketball courts, while others include benches, shaded structures, and trees that can be seated and relaxed to consume outdoors. The University of Washington Center for Behavioral Health and Learning Projects featured a large calming window theme, using calm colors and using local photographs and artwork to provide a unique touch.
Bisnow: What challenges are facing participants in this particular market?
anthes: Costs and financing are always a major challenge. However, much of this work is being done on active campuses that cannot be shut down for construction. As Greenfield sites are not often built for behavioral health facilities, working within these campuses to avoid disrupting patient care is a challenge.
In addition to not interfering with patient care and normal operation, it also ensures that it does not affect the utilities serving critical facilities. Many of these campuses are plagued by 100 years of utilities that people didn't do a great job of marking decades ago.
There is technology that allows you to scan the entire surface area of a project. It does a really great job of picking up utilities to a specific depth and identifying the size. Our team also went through 100 years of documentation and identified as many utilities as possible. We took it all, integrated it, built it in a virtual model, and overlayed new pieces on top of it. Careful planning is essential to overcome challenges like these while minimizing the potential impact of construction on active facilities.
Bisnow: What developments does Clark Construction work on, have you recently completed it?
Anthes: Western State Hospital is currently conducting tenant improvement projects on existing floors within the building, and is currently building a new management building and a new forensic hospital on campus.
Nationally, Clark works at a Veterans Facility in El Paso, Texas. Recently we offered a campus upgrade at the Elgin Mental Health Center in Elgin, Illinois. San Diego has an acute mental hospital we are working on. This important work is being done nationwide and Clark is honored to be a part of it.
This article was created in a collaboration between Clark Construction Group and Studio B. The staff at BisnowNews were not involved in the production of this content.
Studio B is Bisnow's internal content and design studio. For more information about how Studio B can help your team, please contact studio@bisnow.com.
