News
Courtyard a Breath of Fresh Air for Psychiatry Patients, Staff
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Fresh air can be therapeutic, and perhaps no one knows this better than patients admitted for long hospital stays.
Thanks to a collaboration between Psychiatry and Medical Center Space Planning, Strong has a new area dedicated to giving adult inpatients on Psychiatry units 9000 and 9200 the chance to get outside as part of their care and recovery.
You might know this courtyard, located on the ground level across from the ID badge office and former Metro Deli. It has been used by many staff as an informal outdoor break area to date, but since Metro Deli closed during the pandemic, foot traffic in that area has decreased, and the indoor seating area has served as a break room for Facilities staff.
Starting June 1, swipe access to enter the courtyard will be limited to staff who care for Psych patients. While this area will be dedicated to patient care, there are still outdoor seating options for staff in areas including the courtyard at GCH, outside Flaum Atrium, as well as benches and tables along Crittenden Blvd. near Helen Wood Hall and Saunders Research Building.
Psychiatry first approached UR Space Planning to ask if the Metro courtyard, one of very few green spaces around the Medical Center and conveniently located near Behavioral Health, could be dedicated to their patients. The answer was a resounding yes.
“We are so glad to have leadership’s support for this courtyard project,” said Amber Foster, senior director URMC Space Design & Administrative Services. “It is a hidden gem and we are grateful to our staff for cooperating with the change, which will add value to the care we provide.”
The clinical care teams are excited about the possibilities. Hochang (Ben) Lee, MD, said many patients are admitted for 10 days or longer. “This is a great advancement for patients to be able to get out and get fresh air,” Lee said. “Taking a walk and getting some sunshine, especially during the summer, adds great benefit, so this is an exciting development that’s also relatively low cost.”
There are no plans for new amenities yet, and Lee said things will start simple as the team finds balance between safe, supervised outdoor time in the space. Some things they’re considering are sport or exercise equipment, and possibly some raised garden beds. There are already picnic tables and seating around the courtyard, and shade from a tree.
Opening the courtyard to patients comes at a time when capacity is high among the roughly 80 inpatient Psych beds and 30 Med-Psych beds. There are additional ALC patients on the units and they often stay for months at a time, explained Patrick Seche, program administrator for Psychiatry. He said that with longer lengths of stay, patients can be on a locked unit with no opportunity to do anything outdoors. “Having this space will make a significant positive impact on the care we provide,” said Seche. “It won’t apply to every patient, but those who can will have a place to do so in a safe way.”
The sentiment was echoed by Psychiatry’s Director of Nursing Courtney Blackwood, who is excited by the possibilities provided by an outdoor space.
“This gives us the opportunity to promote therapeutic healing, foster social connections and encourage physical activity,” said Blackwood. “These benefits play a vital role in enhancing the overall patient care experience leading to recovery.”
Stephanie Bruder is Psychiatry’s administrator for Crisis and Acute Inpatient Services. She said the care teams work hard to provide resources for mental health patients to improve their outcomes and until now, were limited in where they could provide supervised activities.
“Usually if a patient is with a staff member outside, they are getting discharged,” Bruder said. “The outdoor space will serve as another resource—it’s a very large win for the clinical teams. It is exciting for the whole department to be a part of that and to watch it grow.”