Page is a powerfully imaginative and collaborative architecture and engineering firm: one that’s ready for today and designed for what comes next. We pair form with function, reason with emotion, and ideas with expert implementation. At Page, the potential of what’s possible is paired with the practicality of how to make it happen. Our purpose is designing places smarter, while improving the experiences of those who work, live, and learn in them. From thought to finish, Page experts—of all disciplines—see the big picture, figure the best way forward, and deliver solutions in inventive and amazing ways. Imagine that.
is a powerfully imaginative and collaborative architecture and engineering firm: one that’s ready for today and designed for what comes next. We pair form with function, reason with emotion, and ideas with expert implementation. At Page, the potential of what’s possible is with the practicality of how to make it happen. Our is designing places smarter, while improving the experiences of those who work, live, and learn in them. From thought to finish, Page experts—of all disciplines—see the big picture, figure the best way forward, and deliver solutions in inventive and amazing ways. Imagine that.
Visit our website at pagethink.com
Visit our website at pagethink.com
Hope, Trust, and Connection
Supporting pediatric and adolescent health— caring for the whole child.
Page is invested in helping our clients integrate advanced therapeutic treatment, safe environments, children’s healthcare best design practices, good stewardship for the betterment of all, and quality of life into recovery-based behavioral health settings.
Design Considerations
§ Safety
§ Community Oriented
§ Patient-and FamilyCentered Care
§ Provide for Positive Distractions
§ Visual Security
A good life requires a healthy start, and all children deserve support for their health, including their mental and behavioral health. Page incorporates evidence-based design concepts and clinical treatment approaches to help children and their families heal and thrive. Our designs show how familyfirst facilities can incorporate nature and community into a safe place free from the stigma of mental healthcare.
§ Flexible Room Layout
§ Choice and Control of Environment
§ Access to Outdoor Spaces
§ Neighborhood Layout
§ Evidence Based Design
We believe in creating warm, healing environments for growth and recovery with design that offers state-of-the-art treatment spaces in trauma-sensitive environments. Visual and physical access to nature and sunlight calm patients and comfort families and staff. Clear sight lines and subtly integrated security systems blend unobtrusively into safe, durable environments, secure exteriors; community connection; and hope / recovery for our most vulnerable population.
Art and environmental graphics reinforce the atmosphere of healing and enhances the patient and family experience. Vibrant, interactive environments enhance young patients’ journey to health and recovery by allowing them selfsoothing activities and a sense of control over their new environment.
The Commonwealth Center for Children & Adolescents was among nine Virginia Behavioral Health facilities for which Page recently provided therapeutic assessment survey and improved design recommendations.
Central State Hospital Adolescent Wing’s Sensory Room / Petersburg, Virginia (Rendering)
Case Studies
Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital at Lehi Lehi Valley, Utah
Page designed the Pediatric Crisis Center and Inpatient Behavioral Unit to establish Intermountain’s new campus for children’s health. To be completed in December of 2023, the facility includes behavioral health space in the Emergency Department and outdoor activity terraces for inpatient use. An outpatient behavioral health clinic supports pediatric patients and their families in their continued healing journey.
Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA) Baltimore, Maryland
The Behavioral Health Campus for Children & Adolescents includes three, 15-bed inpatient units, a patient courtyard, and a Day School for both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health patients.
The campus integrates “public” space for education and “private” space for three 15-bed living units. Public and private spaces orient around courtyards. An inpatient school-related treatment space serves as the “bridge” between the two zones.
“The Child First and Always.”
Curating Care: Design that Heals
“This place makes me think I can get better; there is a chance I can get out.”
— Anonymous Patient at Fulton State Hospital
— Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital
Austin State Hospital / Austin, Texas
Fulton State Hospital / Fulton, Missouri
Design Considerations
Age-Appropriate Positive Distraction
Providing positive distractions for all age levels allows for a more uplifting hospital experience and appeals to the broad range of patients who visit on a day-to-day basis. These include multi-touch walls and playrooms for younger patients, and a high-tech media area for older adolescents.
Patient Family Support Spaces
Support spaces for patient families are essential as they are a part of the treatment process and accompany patients often. Kitchen and dining spaces, laundry services, respite lounges, computer touchdown zones, and sleep rooms are just some of the various amenities that can be offered with patient families in mind.
Visual Security
Maintaining a line of sight between staff and patients in their rooms is a necessary precaution, especially when considering that pediatric patients might not be able to identify for themselves when they need assistance. This visual security can be achieved through interior windows, glass doors, and strategically placed nurse stations.
Flexible Room Layout
Pediatric patients are admitted with a multitude of different symptoms, creating the need for a variety of different equipment to be on hand. An acuity adaptable room design creates flexibility between patient needs and reduces disruptions caused by moving from one department to another. Additionally, having areas for patient families to sleep or engage together within the room is necessary for their involvement in the healing process.
Control of Environment
Giving the patient control over their environment allows them to feel like they have a say over an aspect of their treatment process. Color changing lights and control over the temperature and television makes the space customizable to fit the patients interests and taste.
Outdoor Spaces
In a hospital environment, patients may feel isolated from the outside world and lose the ability to exercise freely. Outdoor spaces, such as healing gardens, activity playgrounds, and patio areas, are key for allowing patients to exercise and have fun as children. When the patients need to stay indoors, outdoor views in the patient room still connect them to the outside.
Patient Support Spaces
Patients being admitted long-term will have a disruption of their daily life, but there are ways to offer services to help ease the transition into the new normal. Classrooms and child life services allow for continuing education and guidance for patients as they pursue treatment alongside their regular schedule.
Safe Haven Designation
When a patient is admitted, it is important for their overall experience to be as positive as possible. Designating the patient room as a safe haven that is separate from where procedures are performed is one way of creating a comfortable space where the patient can feel relaxed. Any life saving equipment that must stay in the room should be discreetly tucked away out of sight until it is necessary.
Communication Between Staff and Patient Families
Communication between patient families and staff is critical for keeping the patient’s needs and progress in constant conversation. The integration of smart room technology, such as signage monitors outside the patient room and bedside charting connecting to the patient TV, keeps staff and patient families informed about the state of the patient. Additionally, patient TV’s can be used not only as a patient monitor, but also as an educational device, entertainment, on-demand meal request, and a tool for pain management.
Neighborhood Layout
Providing inpatient units that resonate as a neighborhood design can offer privacy needs, social needs, and environmental stimulation for pediatric patients and their families. Thus, a ‘neighborhood’ organization that is a scaled down unit can ease the stress on patients. Each neighborhood can also be calibrated with their own identity and accessibility for easy of navigation through the unit.
Continuum of Care
Outpatient Clinic
Outpatient clinics offer many different mental and behavioral health programs that allow patients to receive specialized care part time while maintaining normal daily work and home life routines and responsibilities.
Intensive Outpatient
Intensive outpatient services provide extended outpatient care often used as a step between inpatient and outpatient treatment. IOP programs allow for more structure and support while allowing patients to transition back to their home environment.
Residential
Residential programs are 24/7 facilities that emulate the home environment with additional structure and support. These are for patients who may not have a stable home environment or who require more observation. These can be short or long term.
Crisis Stabilization
Crisis Stabilization comes in many forms, but the purpose is for walk-in access to care for suicide prevention, behavioral health specific treatment and as a diversion to a higher level of care.
Psych Emergency Center
PEC’s are essentially emergency services specifically for mental and behavioral health needs. These provided more specialized care than a traditional medical emergency department.
Acute Inpatient
Acute inpatient care allows for a short-term treatment option to provide stabilization, medication management and acute mental health care. These are usually 24/7 overnight stay secure units.
Primary Care/Bridging Clinic
Primary Care is the first line of defense for mental and physical health and wellness care. Primary Care physicians can be the first point of entry into the care continuum. Bridging Clinics provide short-term Primary Care until a long term medical home is available.
Forensic
Forensic facilities assess and treat individuals who have past or possible future criminal offenders. Often these offenders are suspected to have an underlying mental or behavioral health issue that may have affected their behavior or competency.
Supportive Housing
Patients can go to live in a group of housing units with other similarly afflicted patients to better foster peer support and help re-integrate back into greater society.
VA
The VA offers a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient services for mental health and substance abuse patients. They cater to members of the armed forces and provide treatment for that unique population group.
Research
Seniors
Adults
Adult patient populations have many options regarding the type of mental health care they need, whether that be programs centered on the length of stay (i.e. inpatient, intensive outpatient, crisis stabilization, etc.) or the treatment of a specific illness (i.e. substance abuse).
Mental, behavioral and brain health research is rapidly expanding, providing new insight to for the treatment and diagnosis.
Call Center
If patients are unable to access in-person care, call centers are a useful resource in emergency and crisis situations. Social workers, clinicians and counselors are available 24/7 for counseling, suicide prevention and referral services.
Peer Support
Peer Support programs incorporate care providers who have gone through similar programs as a patient. Support groups, supportive housing, and residential programs are just a few instances where peer support can be integrated.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse facilities provide detox, counseling and supportive therapy for drug and alcohol abuse.
Adolescent/Pediatric
Adolescent and pediatric age groups require a different approach to treatment tailored to age and development.
Mental heath facilities that treat seniors often have specialized care for memory along with accommodations for additional physical and mobility support.
The first priority is to create supportive environments that resist re-traumatization. People experiencing trauma can be hyper aware and / or hyper sensitive to their surroundings.
Trauma-Informed Spaces
Context / History
Exposure to abuse, neglect, discrimination, violence, and other adverse experiences increase a person’s lifelong potential for serious health problems and engaging in health-risky behaviors, as documented by the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.
A trauma-informed approach acknowledges the need to understand an individual’s life experiences in order to deliver effective services and has the potential to improve engagement, treatment / program adherence, health outcomes, and staff wellness.
Guiding Principles
A set of guidelines is emerging around the following categories: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment & choice, as well as cultural, historical and gender issues. Page has been developing a set of best practices, based on available research and project experience. Each guiding principle is comprised of a set of considerations or recommendations with the ultimate goal of providing a supportive physical environment in which all individuals can thrive. Each of these principles is described in the graphic to the right.
However, it is important to acknowledge that best practices are not a substitute for empathy. There isn’t a single “magic bullet” solution that will work for all - designing for the average is designing for no one. This is why Page will work closely with you to develop appropriate design solutions in support of your mission, your staff, and the people for whom you provide services.
RESIST RETRAUMATIZATION
Protect individuals and staff. Provide visible security, and well-lit public and exterior spaces.
SAFETY TRUST
CONNECTION
Plan for varying levels of social density. Give individuals the choice to engage or disengage. Respect boundaries.
EQUITY & INCLUSION
Being aware of how an individual’s culture affects how they perceive trauma, safety, and privacy. Provide adequate and equal access for those with physical or developmental disabilities.
HOLISTIC
Consider the whole health of individuals. Provide a welcoming environment with access and views to nature.
Involve end users in the decision-making process. Consistent, open, respectful and compassionate communication. Prioritize privacy and confidentiality.
CHOICE
Empower individuals to make their own choices & have as much control of their environment as is safely possible.
RESILIENCE & RECOVERY
Featured Clients
Adamsville Regional Community Health Center / Atlanta, Georgia
Austin Independent School District New Rosedale School Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic / Austin, Texas
Baptist Medical Center J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Tower Wolfson Children’s Hospital / Jacksonville, Florida
Bradley Children’s Hospital Renovations / Providence, Rhode Island (Oldest inpatient child psych facility in the United States.)
Children’s Health Dallas Emergency Department Behavioral Health Unit / Dallas, Texas
Commonwealth Center for Children & Adolescents Therapeutic & Security Survey & Design Recommendations / Staunton, Virginia
Dell Children’s Medical Group Comprehensive Care Clinic / Austin, Texas
Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital / Lehi, Utah
Kennedy Krieger Institute Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Developmental Disabilities / Baltimore, Maryland
LCMC Health Children’s Hospital New Orleans BH Emergency Unit / New Orleans, Louisiana
Mercy Health South Behavioral Health Facility / St. Louis, Missouri
Regional Institute for Children & Adolescents School / Rockville, Maryland
Saint Francis Health System Laureate Psychiatric Clinic Hospital Eating Disorder Unit and Clinic / Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sheppard Pratt Adolescent Behavioral Health Center / Baltimore, Maryland
Star Care Behavioral Health Hospital Pediatric Wing / Lubbock, Texas
UTHealth Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building / Houston, Texas
Virginia Department of General Services New Central State Hospital with Adolescent Wing / Petersburg, Virginia
Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Comprehensive Therapeutic and Safety / Security Assessment of Nine Campuses / Virginia
Integrating best practices in Children’s Health and Behavioral Health design can instill confidence while engaging and reassuring patients and families.
pagethink.com/behavioral-health
UTHealth Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building / Houston, Texas
Children’s Health Dallas / Dallas, Texas
Saint Francis Eating Disorder Unit / Tulsa, Oklahoma
