Behavioral health design comes with its own regulations, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website. Furniture and equipment for behavioral patients are vastly different from what is typically provided in general hospitals.
Codes, standards and references for behavioral health facilities emphasize security over patient comfort. Also, the requirement for privacy between beds in semiprivate medical patient rooms doesn't apply to behavioral health.
The emphasis on security can lead to a prison-like environment, so many regulations have language that emphasizes that a therapeutic environment be provided that is “characterized by a feeling of openness with emphasis on natural light.”
The NFPA 101 Life Safety Code documents include specific requirements and exceptions that only apply to behavioral health facilities. These include allowing the locking of exit doors, limiting the opening size of operable windows, locking the fire extinguisher cabinets and fire alarm pull stations, among others, the article said.
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