SRG Partnership Selected as Design Architect for New University of Washington Behavioral Health Teaching Facility

SRG Partnership has been selected as Design Architect for the new University of Washington Behavioral Health Teaching Facility. SRG’s long focus on design of acute care hospitals combined with the team’s deep experience in behavioral health design and recognized leadership in Collaborative Project Delivery contributed to a successful win. The team effort was led by SRG Principals Pierce McVey, Laurie Canup and Carl Hampson.

In May of 2019, the Washington State Legislature identified the urgent need for services for individuals with behavioral health needs, and the need to increase the number of behavioral health workers in Washington. The legislature recognized the University of Washington School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences as a nationally competitive program with the expertise to establish innovative clinical inpatient and outpatient care for individuals with behavioral health needs and train the next generation of behavioral health providers.

The new facility will provide 50 long-term civil commitment beds, 50 geriatric/voluntary psychiatric beds and 50 licensed medical/surgery beds. The facility will also include a 24/7 telehealth consultation program. Additionally, the facility will include a procedural area for electroconvulsive therapy, neuromodulation to support patients’ commitment to community-based living and health care, and capacity to conduct comprehensive workforce training and development for behavioral health and general health care providers.

University of Washington has identified the following goals for the project:

• Innovative and comprehensive care, offered in an optimal healing environment, to help patients with behavioral health recovery.
• Alternative to existing long-term (90/180-day) civil commitment beds at Western State.
• Training site for the next generation of health and behavioral health care providers for WA State.
• Support the first of its kind 24/7, 365 day a year tele-psych program.
• Ensure a safe environment for patients, providers, staff, trainees and visitors.
• Building design to incorporate required infrastructure upgrades.
• Building design to incorporate connectivity for hospital’s essential services.
• Preservation of campus vision, including how patients and visitors experience the campus.

This progressive design build project is a team collaboration between SRG Partnership, Clark Abbott – a Joint Venture and University of Washington, and is expected to be complete in Spring 2024.