Southern Maine Healthcare, in partnership with Maine Behavioral Healthcare, is expanding access to behavioral healthcare services in Sanford, Maine with a new 5-bed emergency department acute psychiatric (EDAP) suite and 38 new inpatient behavioral healthcare beds, distributed on two inpatient floors.
The EDAP is designed around a small commons for patient access to communal spaces other than their patient room within the protective confines of the suite. The staff nurse station and security use the existing geometry of the building to provide clear sight lines within the suite. The program includes peer counseling for crisis management and the new EDAP will provide a first step in the behavioral health admissions process to the inpatient floors where patients can be safely evaluated.
The inpatient floors are designed around the community space and individual therapy rooms, including those for group therapy, quiet activities, and a new roof terrace on the first floor. The new units are secured with access through an interlocking sally port. Patients are provided with individual bathrooms, and anti-ligature design has been provided throughout the patient occupied areas. Art that highlights nature is incorporated at a variety of seating areas throughout the unit to bring nature inside the building. Seclusion rooms have been provided at both units but other spaces such as comfort rooms are being utilized to de-escalate patients before they need to be restrained.
The units also incorporate new highly efficient anti-ligature chilled beams to heat and cool the new floors, utilizing existing duct work to maintain existing ceiling heights, and removing the prior fan coil units at the perimeter windows. The project has also re-used the existing plumbing chases and wet walls to reduce cost and minimize impact of the construction on the operating rooms below.