June 15, 2020
Proposed in August 2019, Dignity Health’s Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Santa Maria is scheduled to break ground in fall of 2020. With completion expected in spring of 2021, the project will remodel 3,200 square feet of existing medical office space at 1401 East Main St.
The CSU will allow as many as 12 behavioral health patients experiencing mental health crises to receive immediate services for up to 23 hours without, or prior to, admission to an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Learn more about the facility and its goals here.
Our Studio Design Group Architects team designed the Dignity Health CSU to provide a calm, supportive, and healing environment for patients in a residential-like setting. It will offer a large group therapy room with natural light and access to showers, restrooms, personal storage, and laundry facilities. The design includes separate entrances for walk-in and emergency patients, as well as a waiting area for families.
Gabrielle Signorella, Project Designer, developed plans for the existing building that dramatically increased the level of safety to respond to the unique needs of behavioral health patients.
“Santa Barbara County will benefit from the level of commitment, trust, and understanding we share with Dignity Health. Our established relationship allows us to work quickly and cooperatively. The region’s need for a CSU has increased significantly in recent years as hospital emergency departments have seen behavioral health cases nearly double. Patients receiving care in a CSU may benefit from a reduction in depression and other symptoms, reduced risk of self-harm, prevention of criminal justice involvement, improved school and work success, and increased engagement in supportive mental health treatment. Knowing we’re helping build healthier communities isn’t just a side effect of our design work. It’s the motivator. We show up every day ready to help make life better for the people our healthcare clients serve.”
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