2023 14th Annual NUBE Conference

There has been explosive growth in the design and development of crisis stabilization centers—some prototyped and prefabbed—that divert mental health patients from law enforcement or overburdened hospital emergency departments. In this poster session, he will share how the right expertise, partnerships & resources can align to meet the nation’s growing demand for crisis stabilization units.Our designers have been applying evidenced-based behavioral health practices that lead to better outcomes and shorter lengths of stay for crisis stabilization. Increasingly, designers and planners employ Trauma-Informed design principles to create spaces for patients that have a sense of dignity and a connection to their community. These trends have become manifested in FGI 2022 guidelines for behavioral health crisis units following the EmPATH model. This dovetails with the use of subacute inpatient settings for crisis stabilization, which is often driven by the 16- bed count threshold. Often the intake suite for ''warm hand-off" with first responders is a critical space to ensure patients in crisis being brought into these facilities can transition as smoothly as possible. This includes the correct flow into assessment rooms and that staff feel safe during this intake period while reassuring patients during this critical moment in their continuum of care. Spatial considerations for families and loved ones are increasingly of interest to crisis care providers. In this way, our Dignity-Driven Design approach seeks to humanize mental health environments for patients, harmonize staff safety and enhance the comfort of visiting family and friends for the communities we serve.

Learning Objectives:

1. Educate on regulatory requirements for Behavioral Health Crisis Units adopted in the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) 2022 Healthcare Facilities Guidelines. 
2. Share best practices in the design of crisis stabilization units, including prototypes, design strategies and impacts on care model, patient flow, care culture and staffing. 
3. Highlight project examples from a variety of contexts (within an Psychiatric Emergency Department, attached to a large Academic Medical Center campus, stand-alone facilities, etc).