Robins & Morton, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA), McMillian Pazdan Smith and community members gathered to mark the groundbreaking of the new Crisis Stabilization Unit to be located on the campus of the Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee, North Carolina, on April 24.
The addition will total 80,000 square feet and will stand two stories, both tying into the main hospital. The first floor of the new addition will include an Outpatient Behavioral Health facility, assisting patients with behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance abuse. This floor will house 13 Talking Rooms, an exam room, a small group room, a large group room, two large classrooms, an arts and crafts group room, a kitchen, and a dining/living room. To support this space, the center of the floor will contain faculty workstations and administrative offices.
The second floor will contain the Crisis Stabilization Unit with 18 inpatient health patient rooms, four acute care patient rooms, two large group therapy rooms, a dining area, a wellness gym, and an accessible patient roof deck patio. Faculty and support staff will have designated work space in the core of the floor.
In building this facility, the design and construction team was able to save approximately 31,000 square feet of a former hospital structure for renovation. Two conference rooms, two meeting rooms, a computer lab, a trauma simulation room, a new maintenance area, storage, office space and a warehouse now occupy the space.
This unit is part of the CIHA’s multi-unit behavioral health treatment and rehabilitation program, coming after the recent completion of the Kanvwotiyi Residential Treatment Center in December 2017. It is slated for completion is late summer 2020.