Children’s of Alabama (COA) faced a critical public health challenge: the escalating need for inpatient mental health care for adolescents. The existing unit was consistently at capacity, so many young patients faced long wait times in the Emergency Department. To address this, COA embarked on a crucial renovation, transforming a former outpatient clinic into an 11-bed Behavioral Health (BH) Unit. This project required specialized COA Behavioral Health Furniture.
BI joined the project to provide furniture that served two non-negotiable goals: supporting a calm, healing environment and ensuring the safety of patients and staff was the absolute top priority. We proudly collaborated with Poole Company (Architects and Engineers) and the COA Facilities and Design team.
The unit’s scope required specialized, high-security furniture across the 11 Patient Rooms, a Family/Consult Room, a Dining/Multipurpose Room, a Dayspace Activity Room, and Nurse/Provider Offices.
Our solution utilized specialized, high-security furniture. We sourced heavily-weighted, anti-ligature seating and tables. These provided the necessary safety assurance while allowing patients access to engaging and calming communal spaces. This included specialized seating designed specifically for behavioral health settings, along with secure game tables.
The unit received professional lounge seating, guest chairs, and therapeutic patient room furniture (beds, desks, chairs). We selected these pieces to provide comfort while adhering to stringent safety guidelines. We also ensured clinical staff (Nurse Stations and Provider Offices) had ergonomic task seating for their long shifts.
This renovation and furniture implementation allowed COA to operationalize the new 11-bed BH unit, which successfully opened in January 2025. By furnishing the facility with products that meet the highest standards of safety, Business Interiors helped create a safe, supportive setting for adolescent focused mental health care, ultimately reducing patient wait times across the state.
Photography by: Art Meripol
