UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital renovates its inpatient adult trauma recovery unit

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital has renovated its inpatient adult trauma recovery unit for the first time in more than 40 years in hopes to enhance treatment by making all feel welcomed when they come in.

Sometimes it's the little things we take for granted that can change our mood and how we're feeling in the moment. It's what artist Maria DeSimone Prascak tried to achieve in the newly renamed Zoe Atrium Unit.

"Your surroundings affect you," DeSimone Prascak said.

Lively murals now fill the walls of the space alongside positive quotes, more natural light and furniture with colorful fabrics.

"Now it's a happy place," DeSimone Prascak said. "It's very inviting and very homey."

The inpatient unit, made up of 14 beds, hasn't undergone a revamp since it was originally built in the late 1980s.

Every year the hospital admits more than 570 patients age 18 and older -- the majority women. They stay for an average of seven to 10 days to receive treatment for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and occasionally mild psychosis.

"This is usually where we can do a brief crisis intervention, and then help set people up for success in the community," said Dr. James Tew, the vice president for medical affairs and one of the psychiatrists.

He said they wanted to make the environment feel less institutional.

"Having a bright, warm entry point to care, even in a hospital setting, makes things less stressful for individuals who are already going through a crisis," Dr. Tew said.

They've hoping to give patients a little patience and confidence to know they can get better.

"If one person maybe everyday just feels good, smiles, and just forgets about their worries for a few minutes, an hour or two, then I did my job," DeSimone Prascak said.

The unit is expected to start accepting patients in about two weeks.