Families with children who experience behavioral health issues often have to travel to multiple care facilities to see multiple teams of specialists. In Flint, Mich., the new Center for Children’s Integrated Services at Genesee Health System (GHS), a public mental health provider, brings together all of the GHS children’s programs, including its behavioral health programs, under one roof. It provides families a single destination for their children’s mental healthcare.
The facility aims to integrate and improve behavioral health care and primary care for underserved families. Designed by HED, the 60,000-sf facility unifies the three core children’s behavioral health programs—the Neurological Center for Excellence, Child and Family Services, and the Children’s Autism Center—as well as community outreach and a federally qualified health care center.
The Center for Children’s Integrated Services features a series of “autism pods” and an autism playground area. As a therapeutic tool, the playground allows children with autism to engage with nature through sensory-rich features. Autism has been one of the leading outcomes seen from the Flint water crisis, according to GHS.
HED designed the building’s layout to improve navigation and efficiency for patients, families, and medical staff, while also enhancing visibility and accessibility. The facility offers a secure drop-off area, a secure playground, a café, an outdoor plaza, and comfortable waiting areas.
In addition, the Center for Children’s Integrated Services will help develop medical innovation in the evaluation and treatment of lead poisoning. This work will inform best practices for treatment around the world.
The facility is located along a main bus line in Flint, improving transportation access to health services for low- and moderate-income families.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Greater Flint Children’s Mental Health Facilities, Inc.
Design architect and architect of record: HED
MEP engineer and structural engineer: HED
General contractor/construction manager: DW Lurvey Construction
Related Stories
| Mar 29, 2013
Cuningham Group acquires NTD's healthcare practice, expands into key markets
The international design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. has announced that NTD Healthcare has the joined the company in a strategic expansion. A practice of NTD Architecture, NTD Healthcare joins Cuningham Group with three principals: Wayne Hunter, AIA, NCARB, ACHA and Phillip T. Soule, III, AIA, ACHA in San Diego, along with Maha Abou-Haidar, AIA in Phoenix.
| Mar 14, 2013
25 cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago top EPA's list of the U.S. cities with the greatest number of Energy Star certified buildings in 2012.
| Mar 6, 2013
Hospital project pioneers BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery
The Marlborough (Mass.) Hospital Cancer Pavilion is one of the first healthcare projects to use BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery.
| Mar 4, 2013
German healthcare design specialist TMK Architekten joins HDR Architecture
TMK Architekten • Ingenieure, one of Germany’s leading healthcare architecture firms, announced today that it is joining forces with HDR Architecture, the world’s No. 1 healthcare and science + technology design firm. The merged company will conduct business as HDR TMK, and will be the hub for the firm’s healthcare and science + technology design programs in Europe.
| Feb 26, 2013
Tax incentive database for reflective roofs available
The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) and the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) created a database of current information on rebates and tax credits for installing reflective roofs.
| Feb 25, 2013
10 U.S. cities with the best urban forests
Charlotte, Denver, and Milwaukee are among 10 U.S. cities ranked recently by the conservation organization American Forests for having quality urban forest programs.
| Feb 18, 2013
Syracuse hospital using robots to reduce infections by 50%
Fast Company's Nina Mandell writes about how an early adopter of UV infection-control robotics—St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse—is seeing positive results.
| Feb 15, 2013
Preservation lawsuit over Chicago's Prentice Hospital dropped
Preservation lawsuit over Chicago's Prentice Hospital dropped, freeing Northwestern University to demolish it and build a new research facility.
| Feb 14, 2013
5 radical trends in outpatient facility design
Building Design+Construction combed the healthcare design and construction sector to evaluate the latest developments in outpatient facility designs. Here are five trends to watch.
