Sheppard Pratt celebrated the opening of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg building, a four story 230,000 square foot, inpatient hospital, with a week of events from May 7 to May 14. The opening occurred two years after ground was broken despite one of the existing towers being struck by lightening and catching fire and Hurricane Isabel dumping water on the building.

To ceremonially mark the move from the old buildings to the new one, on Saturday, May 7^th, Robert Roca, MD, Vice President and Medical Director, led a 5K race open to the public, in which he carried keys used to open the original hospital gates into the new building. Three hundred people, including a contingent of Sheppard Pratt staff, joined in the race.

On Monday, employees participated in a time capsule ceremony. An employee sang a Quaker hymn, Dr. Steve Sharfstein, President/CEO of Sheppard Pratt spoke as did the Chairman of the Board and a consumer. The capsule was buried in a cornerstone of the new building. Tours for mental health professionals were given Tuesday and a ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Thursday. Speakers at the ceremony included Maryland’s First Lady Kendel Ehrlich and actress Carrie Fisher who advocates for the mentally ill. Ms. Fisher also autographed her book, “The Best Awful.” Elected officials who helped obtain state and federal funding were acknowledged. These included Representative Ben Cardin and Senator Barbara Mikulski who helped raise $400,000 in Federal funds, and the delegation from the 42^nd district, who helped provide $3 million from the State.

The final events included a celebrity basketball game hosted by Keith Mills from Channel 2. Players from the Orioles, Ravens, and Blast teams defeated a team comprised of Sheppard Pratt staff. Then, on Saturday, there was a scientific day followed by a Leann Rimes “Care for Kids” concert at the Hippodrome. Bonnie Katz, Vice President of Corporate Business Development, who planned the week’s events, was pleased with everyone’s participation and the Health System’s successful efforts to create enticing events for a wide cross-section of the community.

These events marked the opening of the new building; they also marked the end of intensive planning by staff and administrators. According to Tom Hess, Special Assistant to the President, clinical staff participated in 500 meetings to provide input on the hospital design. They suggested ways to increase activity space, prevent suicide, and allow physical exams and therapies to occur on the units.

According to Bonnie Katz, the units are 50% larger on a square foot basis than the old ones. Marsden McGuire, MD, Medical Director of Geriatric Services, commented that monitoring patients on the larger unit is requiring staff to make changes but that overall, it’s been easier to separate patients to keep them safe. The level of aggression among patients appears to have decreased as there are less orders for seclusions and restraints. Meena Vimalananda, MD, Medical Director for Child and Adolescent Services, also remarked on the decrease in restraint orders on the new child and adolescent units. Restraint and seclusion data will be tabulated over a six month period to determine if this positive trend continues. Her staff is also adjusting to the larger unit size and is working on creative solutions to the difficulties monitoring children and managing phone calls from parents at the same time.

Patient privacy is now enhanced as all units provide single bedrooms that are designed to meet comfort and security needs. For example, the mirrors chosen are not easily broken and they do not distort images. The floors are rubber to prevent stains. On the Geriatric Unit, the beds are Stryker hospital beds so patients can be weighed and their medical needs addressed more easily. These private rooms lessen tension between patients on the female adolescent unit, commented Dr. Vimalananda, but some children with separation anxiety are being placed in rooms closer to the nurses’ station to allay their worries about sleeping alone. Dr. McGuire remarked that patients and families see the units as more patient centered. By the end of August, patient satisfaction survey results will be reviewed.

Other state-of-the-art features include enclosed porches where patients can be safe while experiencing the outside weather. When patients are admitted, there are more bays for parking ambulances, more private interviewing rooms, and a back hallway to the units also designed for more privacy. There are also enclosed courtyards and gardens and a large new gym. For families and visitors, there is a meditation room and a two story meditation garden and labyrinth. Furthermore, there is an art collection of 45 to 50 pieces funded in part by a donation of $240,000 from Louisa Chase in memory of the late Donald S. Levinson. The art was chosen by curator Theodore Cohen to reflect themes relevant to mental illness and addiction.

Finally, a board game entitled “Sheppard Pratt in-a-box” was commissioned as a gift to commemorate the new hospital opening. Players landing in the emergency room get “stuck” for awhile unless they throw doubles. And, if you land on “Utilization Review,” you pay $200.