With emergency departments overloaded across Massachusetts and hundreds awaiting mental health and addiction treatment placements daily, Boston Medical Center (BMC) knew they needed to tackle the crisis threatening community wellbeing. However, rather than swiftly erecting a temporary overflow facility, they conceived of a thoughtfully envisioned healing space focused on longevity through sustainable and adaptive design.
The plans for an 82-bed treatment center in Brockton prioritized not just immediate capacity relief but a holistic approach to patient recovery, incorporating calming natural elements like ample sunlight and non-toxic construction materials. Simultaneously, designers integrated forward-focused features - from geothermal wells to flexible floors pivotable between stabilization and inpatient psychiatric needs.
"We wanted not just to create a building where patients were healthy, but to create a healthy building," explained Nancy Hanright, BMC’s Senior Director of Real Estate & Capital Planning, during a recent presentation at HealthSpaces.
This ethos wove emergency preparedness, responsible environmental impact, and population health needs together.
While more work remains addressing transitional programs and social determinants driving admission rates, Hanright took pride in BMC’s commitment to sustainable healing models benefitting populations most in need.
“Prioritizing efficient use of square footage is paramount to reducing costs and emissions while increasing access,” she said. For BMC, at least, the behavioral health infrastructure gap begins closing through innovative spaces that value patient and environmental well-being.
Watch the complete presentation here:
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