Adolescent Treatment Center of Winnebago

Healthcare for Youth

In 2017 alone, 8.5 million Americans were suffering from both mental Illness and substance abuse. And adolescents, age 12-19, are among the fastest growing populations with this dual diagnosis in the country.

When treating adolescents in an extended care environment, safety and dignity are the two primary drivers of design. Creating a safe environment, both physically and emotionally, was important given the difficult situations of the patients, many of whom do not want to be there.

Often inpatient treatment is marred by self-harm; therefore, the solution paid close attention to safety features including suicide-prevention hardware for doors, desks, lighting, showers, and bathrooms. The hardware is tamper-proof to discourage residents from dismantling it and hiding individual pieces. Even the durability of the interior materials used to minimize the potential for harm.

The overarching environment is comfortable and nurturing where patients can focus on their recovery and healing process. The configuration of the living areas, with a central gathering space which encourages informal discussions to the individual patient rooms are natural as well as provide access to daylight and views to the exterior and nature. This facility is the first LEED-certified treatment center in the nation.