News / Business / Clark County Business

New behavioral health hospital will strive for comfort

Rainier Springs, set to open in Salmon Creek in September, has a bit of a hotel feel to it

By Wyatt Stayner, Columbian staff writer

Published: July 31, 2018, 6:20pm

5 Photos

The lobby of Rainier Springs demonstrates how the building was designed to feel more like a hotel than a hospital. (Nathan Howard/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Rainier Springs is a hospital, but it kind of feels like a hotel.

When Vancouver’s new behavioral health hospital opens Sept. 6, that’s — at least partially — the vibe that its staff will want patients to feel. While the goal is to help patients with behavioral health, mental health and substance abuse, the aura the hospital wants to exude during treatment is one of comfort.

That’s why the 53,278-square foot-hospital has basketball courts and an outdoor living area. That’s why there’s a communal patient living room. That’s why there’s no barrier separating the nurses station from patients. That’s why there are pictures of mountains and lakes. That’s why there’s a cafeteria, which will serve healthy, fresh food each day. And that’s why there are no cuffs used to restrain patients.

When you think of behavioral health facilities, your mind might flash to the classic but brutal “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” as Rainier Springs CEO Gary Petersen can attest. But times and methods are changing.

“From the get-go, we want to give people that message, ‘We respect you, you’re not defective,’ ” Petersen said. “There’s been a stigma about mental health. People have been afraid of coming forward, whether you’re an addict, or you’ve had depression. Over the years, the stigmas are lifting or changing.”

Trusting staff

That will begin with the staff at Rainier Springs, which will total 350 people once the hospital is fully up and running. Job titles include everything from psychiatrist to nutritionist to housekeeper.

Petersen said that as CEO he will empower the staff, and trust their expertise instead of micromanaging, important in an environment where patients might need help immediately, he said.

“Most people that are drawn to work in facilities like these have had a family member that has experienced a mental health condition or a substance abuse disorder,” said Petersen, who most recently worked at a hospital in Dubai. “And they understand the frustration, the pain, and they want to be part of the solution for that. People are coming here who are very compassionate and want to help this population of individuals.”

While the goal is to create a feeling of comfort at Rainier Springs, patients will still have busy treatment schedules. A day at Rainier Springs can include medication management, psychotherapy, activity therapy, journaling, yoga, group therapy and pet therapy. Petersen mentioned that there will be multiple dogs on campus, and that pet therapy is sometimes the best way to help a patient who feels perturbed.

The hospital will see patients with everything from addiction to anxiety to bipolar disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder. The levels of care include medically assisted detox, substance abuse rehabilitation, crisis stabilization and more. Rainier Springs will accept Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and out-of-pocket payments.

Rainier Springs has a 72-bed inpatient capacity, and will also offer outpatient services. The average inpatient stay at Rainier will be about seven days. After that, patients can continue to receive outpatient treatment, and also partial hospitalization, where patients can be at the hospital for some days of the week, and also return home at night.

“Our goal is to try to get you back to your community as soon as possible,” Petersen said. “So back to work, back to family, restore you to high functioning as soon as possible.”

Wyatt Stayner

Columbian staff writer

Trusting staff

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