Jen Minotas
Partner+DetailJen Minotas has spent her career dedicated to the design of healthcare environments and started her own company in 2015, +Detail, a design and architecture firm specializing in healthcare and behavioral health environments. Jen works with clinical leaders, facilities teams, and construction partners to shape spaces that support patient safety, staff capability, and operational realities. Her experience includes medical inpatient units, behavioral health environments, and adaptive renovations in active hospitals where alignment between clinical strategy and the physical environment is critical. Jen’s work has been recognized by AIA and IIDA, and she is known for her collaborative approach to solving challenging healthcare design problems.
E21 – Inside the Inpatient Room: Lessons from Behavioral Health Care in Medical Units
As behavioral health acuity continues to rise, medical inpatient units are increasingly called upon to support patients experiencing behavioral health…As behavioral health acuity continues to rise, medical inpatient units are increasingly called upon to support patients experiencing behavioral health crises often in spaces designed for medical care, not behavioral health support. In these moments, …As behavioral health acuity continues to rise, medical inpatient units are increasingly called upon to support patients experiencing behavioral health crises often in spaces designed for medical care, not behavioral health support. In these moments, care teams must make real-time decisions that stretch beyond the limits of the physical environment. This session explores what happens when inpatient rooms are adapted to meet behavioral health needs…As behavioral health acuity continues to rise, medical inpatient units are increasingly called upon to support patients experiencing behavioral health crises often in spaces designed for medical care, not behavioral health support. In these moments, care teams must make real-time decisions that stretch beyond the limits of the physical environment. This session explores what happens when inpatient rooms are adapted to meet behavioral health needs and why the success of those spaces depends less on any single design intervention and more on alignment between clinical strategy, staff capability, facility operations, and construction planning. Drawing from real-world experience, presenters will share lessons learned from post-occupancy use of retrofitted inpatient rooms, highlighting how these spaces are actually used during moments of escalation and care. Clinical leaders will offer bedside perspectives on how escalation pathways shape staff experience and patient safety, while facilities and design leaders will discuss how early clinical input helps set realistic expectations for space performance and identifies when alternate care settings are needed. The session will conclude by sharing a practical framework for documenting clinical strategy decisions used as a guide to inform design, align teams, and support safer, more effective care environments for both patients and staff.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
