“The patients were involved in the planning and design of our unit,” said vice president of operations for Allina Health mental health and addiction services Joseph Clubb. “One of the things they talked to us about was the opportunity to be able to exercise and on the Mercy campus we are unable to do that. We might be able to offer one piece of equipment but we actually are able to open up an exercise space where we have exercise equipment, we’ll be able to offer yoga, utilize the Wii technology, and things like that for our patients so listening to our patients and responding to their requests to offer that exercise equipment because we know that in addition to treating mental illness with medications that exercise and activity also lifts the mood, decreases anxiety, and decreases stress for individuals as well.”
The new units feature individualized lighting, music, and temperature controls along with spacious lounges and recreation areas. Mercy says that they know that they will be treating more than just mental health in these spaces, because mental health is often linked to physical health.
“What we know is that 64% of individuals who struggle with an addiction or chemical health dependency also have what we call a dual diagnosis. They have mental illness and addiction. Most commonly it’s depression and anxiety so what we’re excited to do is bring our staff expertise together consolidated on this campus so we can better treat both illnesses at the same time,” said Clubb.
The work is part of Mercy’s One Hospital, Two Campuses plan that has the goal of providing the best healthcare and experience in the North Metro.
“Being able to maximize space between two hospital sites that are eight miles apart is another one of our goals,” said Clubb.
The new adult mental health care area is expected to be fully completed soon.
