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and behavioral care practices to function independently and collaborate as needed. This layout also presents opportunities for the separate
practices to share certain spaces and resources, such as community
programs and educational sessions, entry areas and waiting rooms, and
staff break rooms.
E M B E D D E D L AY O U T: C L I N I C A F A M I L Y H E A L T H

Clinica Family Health, a nonprofit healthcare organization serving lowincome families in the northwest Denver metropolitan area, began utilizing a team-based care model with an embedded layout in 2001. The
approach was introduced at a clinic in Thornton, Colo., which originally
featured two pods of exam and consult rooms with centralized team
workspaces and support areas. Each pod supports a dedicated team of
primary care providers, nurses, medical assistants, a behavioral health
provider (BHP), and a case manager, with dental hygienists and dieticians floating between the two pods.
Accessible, shared workspace is a key feature of this layout. Standingheight countertops located outside exam rooms provide a place to quickly print a prescription or patient education materials. Within the team
workspace, there are desks where two to four clinicians can gather for a
consult or team meeting. A daily "huddle" with all team members occurs
in this area to review the day's patients and discuss care plans.
To improve access and reinforce the BHP's role as a resource during
primary care appointments or when a patient is in crisis, the organization updated its layout for its clinic in Boulder, Colo., which opened in
2009, to make the BHP's workstation visible from all exam rooms. This
set-up also reduced the time staff spent searching for a provider and the
use of electronic notifications, such as pagers and call systems. "The distance between the primary care provider and BHP is so important," says
Dr. Chris Keenan, a primary care physician at Clinica Family Health in
Lafayette, Colo. "I sit right next to the BHP, so I can draw on her as a resource, as needed. In the pod, I can see what's going on, who's here, and
who can help." A consult room within each pod is designed with homelike furniture and, when possible, a window to access daylight. BHPs use
the consult room for follow-up visits with patients, thereby maximizing
the use of the exam rooms for primary care. The room can also be used
for confidential conversations between team members or as flexible
space if a patient's appointment requires more time, allowing the exam
room to be turned over.
A D J A C E N T L AY O U T: J E F F E R S O N P L A Z A F A M I L Y H E A L T H
HOME

Colorado-based healthcare organizations Jefferson Center for Mental
Health in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and Metro Community Provider Network
(MCPN) in Englewood, Colo., partnered in 2010 to open the Jefferson
Plaza Family Health Home in Lakewood, Colo., which provides medical,
dental, and behavioral health services to at-risk patients. The providers chose to use an adjacent layout featuring separate primary care and
behavioral health clinics on the second floor of the building. A BHP employed by Jefferson Center is stationed within the primary care clinic to
provide direct support, while the full-service Jefferson Center behavioral clinic is located across the hall. This layout allows the two entities to
function as separate clinics but work collaboratively when required.
Locating the clinics on the same floor provided an opportunity to share
waiting, reception, support, and staff break areas, as well. Additionally,
consult, team planning, and group therapy rooms are centrally located

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Healthcare Design - June/July 2018

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