New Psychiatric Hospital for Teens Strikes Balance Between
Health, Healing, and Safety
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and its architect, Boise-based Lombard Conrad Architects, designed the new State Hospital West facility to feature pops of bright colors.
$11 million, 16,000-square-foot facility opened in Nampa in May 2021 By Peter Jensen
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOMBARD CONRAD ARCHITECTS WITH PHOTOGRAPHER NATE TURNER OF TURNER ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
10 BUILDING IDAHO • 2021 FALL/WINTER
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hen the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare sat down with their architects to design a new adolescent psychiatric hospital in Southwest Idaho, they wanted to create a space that struck a perfect balance. They wanted the hospital to be a healthy and healing environment for patients and their parents, while guaranteeing that it would be as safe as possible for patients, visitors, and staff members. It was a challenge for the department’s administration and their architect, Boisebased Lombard Conrad Architects, who met for a full year just working on the design. In May 2021, they delivered. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officially opened the new State Hospital
West facility in Nampa, serving up to 16 youths ages 12 to 17 years old. The new facility, which employs 51 staff members, is a stand-alone building on the grounds of the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center. Hospital Administrator Gina Westcott said she thinks they achieved the balance between healthy, healing spaces and safety. But, she said the hospital’s design needed a third factor to be successful. “We wanted the experience for the children and parents to really have that ‘Wow!’ factor,” Westcott said. To accomplish that, LCA and the administration worked to ensure the design featured abundant natural light, beautiful, bright colors, open spaces that are inviting and welcoming, and wood grains in the floors and doors that give the facility an indelible Idaho touch.
