Veterans' Healthy Living, Spring 2014
Creating an Environment of Caring for Mental Health Inpatients
VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System (VA CWM HCS) has a newly renovated mental health inpatient unit, and patient safety was a major driver in its new look and flow. The inpatient unit, which opened in late 2013, is an innovative example of how patient safety can drive facility design. “We wanted a calming, healing environment that was safe and patient-friendly,” said Patient Safety Manager Deborah Lambert, PhD, RN.
Three inpatient units serve male and female Veterans from ages 19 to 70, offering help to Veterans dealing with substance abuse, depression, suicidal or homicidal risks, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients come to the units through transfers from other facilities, through physician referrals, or sometimes on their own.
With input from staff in multiple departments, the unit design creates an "environment of caring” with patient safety in mind. “VA wanted to create a safe yet therapeutic environment—a homelike environment,” said Angela Taylor, the Acting Nurse Executive.
The bright and airy facility unit commands a view of nearby mountains from windows built with deep sills that invite sitting and relaxing. Furnishings, fixtures, and materials were carefully selected to reduce the risks of physical harm. Patients enjoy a level of control over their privacy with bedroom doors that lock from the inside—only staff can enter a closed room. A separate women’s lounge provides a feeling of safety and security to female Veterans who may be uncomfortable around male patients.
The unit has more phone availability, and a patient-safe computer lab is planned; both make it possible for patients to communicate with family and handle personal business online.
Even the traditional nurses’ station is open without the usual plexiglass divider between the staff and patients. “Removing that glass improved interactions. Nurses don’t stay in the station; they are out on the floor more,” Taylor explains. “Staff members make continuous rounds, keeping an eye on patients and watching for potential safety hazards. Patients have made many positive comments about this. They feel help is more readily available.”
Patients and staff agree that the unit’s environment keeps the focus on healing in safe surroundings.
For more information about VA CWM HCS’s mental health unit, call 866-687-8387 (toll free) or speak with your VA healthcare provider. If you or a loved one need immediate mental health assistance, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.
Mental Health Unit | Medication | Patient Safety Residency | Preventing Falls | Incident Reporting
