Behavioral Health Design is Moving Forward

The Lifeline will put care at the fingertips of those in need and a greater volume of people will seek support. Without a new system in place, the 988 rollout has the potential to overwhelm current response teams and places. For the built environment specifically, it will put a strain on already-crowded Emergency Departments, and In-Patient Behavioral Health Units. The conversation at the intersection of mental health care and design is evolving as the care system grows.

Behavioral Health Crisis Units adjunct to an Emergency Department and Behavioral Health Crisis Care Centers out in the community can fulfill the “somewhere to go” component of care. Out of every 100 people that contact 988, it’s expected that 6 will need a place to go. More acute patients and situations will benefit from Crisis Units adjunct to an ED or on a hospital’s campus. Crisis Care Centers out in the community are appropriate for non-acute situations. Both acute and non-acute Crisis Care offers a safe place for a person in mental crisis to go for a few hours up to a few days. With a similar mission to stabilize and support community heath, the design approach is similar for both crisis centers. However, the acute setting dictates a different programmatic approach. For both acute and non-acute Crisis Care Centers, the vetted and credible Behavioral Health Design Guide and the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) hold exceptional recommendations for the owner, care team, and design team to incorporate. The Facility Guidelines Institute included new recommendations in the 2022 edition for this emerging care to guide the design of safe and effective care environments for Hospital and Outpatient settings.

Hospital Crisis Care Units | The Crisis Care Unit on a hospital’s campus is often within or adjacent to the hospital’s Emergency Department. Even so, it is separate from the ED, allowing the environment of care to be tailored to the needs of the patient population. Both staff and patients benefit from a space designed for the specific purpose of emergently treating mental health patients. Studies show that Emergency Departments can reduce costs with Crisis Care Units by avoiding unnecessary hospitalization and minimizing boarding – not to mention freeing up the ED and inpatient Behavioral Health beds.

Receiving acute patients to Crisis Care Units requires specific programming to support the patient and staff flow, while prioritizing an environment conducive to treatment and de-escalation.