$160.5 Million Hospital Stresses Security

While security is a rising priority for all institutional and commercial facilities, a certain segment of the facilities must treat security as among the highest priorities.

Hawaii recently opened a new facility that was designed to house patients subject to court-ordered psychiatric care, according to Honolulu Civil Beat. The new $160.5 million facility has room for 144 patients. The new facility has hundreds of cameras and is designed to minimize staff blind spots and enable them to see more patients at once.

Hospital sections hold a maximum of 24 patients at once, compared to nearly twice that number in existing facilities. Security is managed by central control and some elevators include separated areas for particularly violent patients.

The new facility also has a single entry and exit point for patients, and a sally-port to prevent escapes. The design was partially inspired by the design of Hawaii jails. The design prioritized clear sight lines for staff. A staffer sitting in a nursing station can simultaneously view patients who are playing volleyball, gardening and walking down a hallway to their rooms.