Kern Behavioral Health Facilities

PROJECT NARRATIVE

This project was initiated to address the critical need for additional crisis and behavioral health beds, particularly for youth and adolescents, filling a significant gap in the region's healthcare infrastructure. The facility is not a hospital but functions as a locked psychiatric health facility, offering support for both high- and low-acuity cases outside the jurisdiction of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

The project comprises two buildings totaling 32,000 square feet dedicated to short-stay behavioral health residential programs: one for adults and one for youth and adolescents. The design incorporates a mix of single- and double-occupancy bedrooms, with the layout emphasizing "neighborhoods," smaller units of patients surrounded by consult rooms, administrative offices, and social workers. Each of the three wings houses 16 beds, with neighborhoods varying between six and eight beds. The design is future-proof, allowing for expansion if regulations change.

Central to the project is the "living room," or family room program, which serves as the heart of the facility. It includes a dining area and a full-service commercial kitchen that caters to the programs, along with group therapy rooms, quiet activity spaces, and outdoor courtyards that further enhance the therapeutic environment. The importance of outdoor space is underscored with features like basketball hoops and labyrinths, and local artists contributed murals themed to the population served.

The project's innovative approach extends to its exterior design, which focuses on regionality and incorporates materials that soften the building's appearance, with the intent of creating a space that doesn't resemble a typical county building or behavioral health facility. The use of color, materiality, and design elements like breezeblock walls and exaggerated rooflines contribute to a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere.