REPEAT CLIENT: OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS HOSPITAL | LOCATION: BOGALUSA, LA
Ralph Serpas
Chief Nursing Officer
Our Lady of the Angels Hospital
“The architects at Greenleaf are a dynamic customer-oriented team. With the use of advanced technology, they established a guided collaborative process to not only create a product that we are happy with, but they did it efficiently and within budget. With stringent hospital regulations, they conducted thorough research for our design, which lead to a successful Louisiana Department of Health survey. We are extremely pleased with our hospital expansion and would utilize Greenleaf for future endeavors.”
Designing an inpatient behavioral health environment within an existing hospital requires careful attention to patient safety, staff operations, security, building systems, and regulatory requirements. Our Lady of the Angels Hospital selected an existing third-floor cold shell dating to the 1970s for its new Behavioral Health Unit. The existing space presented several challenges, including limited ceiling heights, minimal access to natural light, and mechanical and plumbing systems that had to be integrated into the new layout.
Greenleaf developed the project through an intensive space-planning process focused on the specific needs of behavioral healthcare. The layout prioritizes security, staff visibility, clear sightlines, controlled circulation, and efficient daily operations while meeting applicable healthcare and life safety requirements.
Hospital departments reviewed the developing plan throughout design to confirm that the unit supported actual staff procedures and patient care. This collaborative review was particularly important because behavioral health environments require decisions about patient access, observation, security, fixtures, materials, and building systems to be considered together.
The project also required detailed coordination of finishes, fixtures, hardware, and equipment appropriate for behavioral health use. Durability, safety, patient access, and ligature resistance were considered without making the completed unit unnecessarily institutional.
Greenleaf worked closely with the hospital, consultants, Kent Design Build, and regulatory agencies through design and construction. The project successfully completed its Louisiana Department of Health survey, was delivered on schedule and under the owner's established budget, and maintained change orders at approximately 1.16%.
The completed unit demonstrates how an existing hospital shell with significant physical constraints can be transformed into a secure and functional behavioral health environment through detailed planning, regulatory coordination, and close collaboration with hospital staff.
