U-M hospital's mental health unit gets $3.8M renovation

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 | Source: Concentrate

The paint is barely dry on the U-M Health System's inpatient mental health unit, which is currently receiving the finishing touches on a $3.8 million facelift.

Enhancements include a new activity therapy room, library, computer terminals for patients to access the Internet, a dining room that remains open all day, and, in a mental health setting where safety is paramount, updated fixtures in bathrooms and patient rooms. Mirrors and light fixtures are near-shatterproof, and surfaces are constructed so that objects can't be wrapped around them.

The remodel also allows for the potential addition of three more beds to the 22-bed unit.

But the upgrades aren't only functional. A decorative tile from Ann Arbor's Motawi Tileworks is also displayed outside of each patient's room.

One particularly distinguishing feature of the revamp, says Michael Casher, M.D. and director of U-M hospital's Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, is the ability to turn a section of the space into a secure intensive care unit.

And, in line with the university's position as a teaching hospital, "The renovation really brings the architecture of our unit up to the level of the care we provide," Casher says. "We have a team approach to patients that includes our psychiatrists who are attending physicians and faculty of the University of Michigan. Our nursing staff, activity therapists, social workers, nurse practitioners, and even clinical pharmacists that accompany us on rounds are all dedicated to taking care of the patients. We're a major training site for every one of those disciplines, including, now, physician assistant programs that are sending their students to us for training."

Source: Michael Casher, M.D., director of U-M hospital's Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar