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The Perfect Blend of Form and Function: Features That Make a Difference

Creating safe, comfortable, and supportive environments is crucial in today’s ever-evolving healthcare landscape, especially in behavioral healthcare settings. Stance’s  Clover Lounge Collection stands out as a beacon of modern styling and functionality, offering seating solutions that prioritize relaxation and comfort while meeting stringent safety requirements.

A Blend of Beauty and Functionality

Clover boasts a striking blend of beautiful curves and modern design, elevating the ambiance of any supervised behavioral healthcare environment. The thoughtful craftsmanship adds to the aesthetics and ensures unparalleled comfort and support for patients and visitors alike.

Safety as a Top Priority

Understanding the unique challenges of behavioral healthcare spaces, Stance Healthcare has engineered Clover to surpass the rigorous BIFMA testing requirements. This dedication to safety and durability ensures that the furniture can withstand the demands of high-traffic environments while maintaining its elegance.

Innovative Clean-Out Space

Hygiene and cleanliness are paramount in healthcare settings. Clover addresses this concern with a concealed clean-out space between the seat and back. This feature allows easy cleaning and maintenance, promoting a germ-free and sanitary environment.

Floor Protection and Stability

To prevent damage to floors and enhance stability, Clover is equipped with nylon glides. These glides protect the flooring from scratches and offer smooth movement without compromising strength.

Discreet Metal Seat Pan

Another innovative design element in Clover is the standard metal seat pan, which cleverly conceals staples. By doing so, Stance ensures that no sharp edges or potentially harmful elements are exposed, enhancing patient and user safety.

Tamper-Resistant Fasteners

Safety remains at the forefront of Clover’s design philosophy. Including tamper-resistant fasteners ensures the furniture stays securely in place, reducing the risk of accidents or intentional harm.

Tailored Options for Customization

Recognizing that every behavioral healthcare environment has unique requirements, Clover offers a range of customizable options:

1. Choice of Wood or Metal Legs: The collection provides the flexibility to choose between wood or metal legs, allowing you to match the furniture with the existing interior design or create a specific ambience.
2. Contrasting Fabrics: Personalize the seating with a wide selection of fabric options, enabling you to create a welcoming and visually appealing atmosphere.
3. Power/USB: While not recommended for high-risk patient areas, power and USB connectivity in gray offers convenient charging solutions for visitors or staff in appropriate settings.
4. Moisture Barrier: Clover offers a moisture barrier option, ensuring that the furniture remains protected from spills and stains, further enhancing its longevity.

Stance’s Clover Lounge Collection brings a fresh perspective to behavioral healthcare furniture. With its harmonious blend of aesthetics, comfort, and safety, this collection redefines relaxation in supervised environments. By focusing on the needs of patients, visitors, and healthcare providers, Stance continues to set new benchmarks in behavioral health furniture manufacturing.

If you seek an innovative seating solution that embraces modern design without compromising safety, Clover is undoubtedly the epitome of excellence in behavioral health furniture. For more information about Clover, please visit our website at www.stancebh.com.

Exploring the Importance of Sensory Comfort in Behavioral Health Centers

In the ever-evolving landscape of behavioral health centers, creating an environment that promotes comfort, engagement, and relaxation is paramount. Stance Behavioral Health’s latest innovation, Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs, provide children and adults alike with a therapeutic and calming experience. Blending the best of both worlds, these chairs offer a perfect fusion of functionality and fun, ensuring that children and adolescents feel at ease while focusing on their well-being. The features and construction of these remarkable seating solutions are poised to transform therapeutic and lounge areas.

A Fusion of Fun and Functionality
The Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs are meticulously designed to be the ideal companions in behavioral health centers. Their versatility allows them to seamlessly fit into a variety of settings, including therapeutic spaces and lounge areas. These chairs present an exciting combination of the classic bean bag and a conventional chair, creating an innovative seating option that caters to the dynamic needs of both children and adults.

Enhanced Stability with Non-Skid Mega Grip Bottom
One of the standout features of the Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs is their non-skid mega grip bottom. For patients who have the urge to move these chairs ensure their safety by staying firmly in place even during the most animated activities. This feature not only prevents unwanted slips and slides but also contributes to a secure and comfortable seating experience.

Locking Zipper Closure for Safety
Safety is a top priority in any Behavioral Healthcare setting, and the Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs rise to the occasion. Equipped with a locking zipper closure, these chairs offer an extra layer of security. This innovative design element not only prevents accidental openings but also promotes peace of mind among caregivers and staff.

Easy Maintenance with Replaceable Covers

In the world of Behavioral Healthcare, spills and accidents are inevitable. The Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs are equipped with replaceable covers, ensuring that cleanliness and hygiene are maintained effortlessly. With the ability to swap out covers, these chairs are easy to maintain and can continue to be a staple in the healing environment for years to come.

Craftsmanship and Construction
The foundation of the Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs lies in their impeccable construction. The inner filling is comprised of 100% virgin polymeric beads, a material known for its comfort and durability. These beads adjust to the body’s contours, providing personalized support that encourages relaxation and engagement. The inner bag, made of ripstop nylon, boasts a polyurethane coating and water-repellent finish. This high-quality material adds an extra layer of protection, ensuring that the chair’s interior remains dry and pristine, even in the face of spills and mishaps.

Upholstery Excellence
Stance’s commitment to quality extends to the upholstery of the Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs. Each piece is cut from the roll with precision, maintaining consistency and adhering to the highest standards. When contrasting fabrics are required, the highest grade is employed, showcasing the brand’s dedication to providing a visually appealing and comfortable seating solution.

The Kiwi Bean Bag Chairs from Stance are poised to revolutionize the Behavioral Health landscape. By focusing on creating an environment that prioritizes patients’ comfort and emotional needs, behavioral health centers can effectively support those patients’ journey toward improved mental health. Bean bag chairs are not just pieces of furniture; they’re therapeutic tools that contribute to a more holistic and empathetic approach to behavioral health treatment. 
 

Child-Friendly Behavioral Health Facility Furniture Redefined

Furnishing behavioral health facilities with furniture that combines functionality, safety, and comfort is of utmost importance. Stance, a renowned provider of healthcare furniture solutions, is thrilled to announce the availability of Attessa Jr.'s Collection for Behavioral Health. This innovative collection takes a bold step forward by placing modular seating at the forefront of design, revolutionizing how behavioral health spaces are configured. With its adaptability, Attessa Jr.'s Collection for Behavioral Health offers endless possibilities for creating welcoming pediatric environments prioritizing children's well-being. 

Modular seating highlights Stance’s approach to behavioral health furniture. This versatile seating solution empowers facilities to design and configure spaces that suit their unique needs. From a design perspective, modular seating provides versatility and flexibility, allowing different configurations to fit any space. Whether creating comfortable conversation areas, facilitating group therapy sessions, or giving private retreats, modular seating seamlessly adapts to the ever-changing requirements of behavioral health settings. 

Based on Attessa Jr for Healthcare, and its two new chairs, Stance extended the range to the Attessa Jr.'s Collection for Behavioral Health. The original Attessa line for both Behavioral Health and Healthcare applications is designed for full-size seating, prioritizes safety and therapeutic design principles, ensuring every patient's needs are met. The Attessa Jr. Collection for Behavioral Health showcases Stance Healthcare's commitment to combining the benefits of modular seating with exceptional craftsmanship including tamper-resistant fasteners and steel underside that conceals upholstery staples. Patients can enjoy a sense of choice and control as they connect with their loved ones or select their preferred seating arrangement.

We also recently unveiled our Rosetta Collection, a versatile and adaptable seating solution Initially designed for behavioral health environments, Rosetta has proven suitable for all applications. In the coming weeks, Stance will incorporate Rosetta into its Healthcare and Contract lines, making it available for a broader range of settings. This expansion highlights the benefits of modular seating in creating welcoming and adaptable. This expansion ensures that the benefits of modular seating, including flexibility and adaptability, can be experienced across a broader range of settings. Whether it's a healthcare facility, behavioral health center, or any other high-use environment, Rosetta's modular design offers endless configuration possibilities to accommodate various needs and preferences such as the rounded Marmoleum plinth base that make them easy to maintain and a variety of finishes and surface colors to choose from.  

Stance Healthcare's Attessa Jr.'s Collection for Behavioral Health is a testament to the brand's commitment to providing innovative and purpose-built furniture solutions for healthcare environments. With a focus on safety, comfort, and design, Stance continues to lead the industry in creating furniture that supports the well-being of patients and staff. 

Explore the Attessa Jr.'s Collections for Behavioral Health, the full-size Attessa line, and the versatile Rosetta Collection to transform your space into a welcoming, adaptable environment that fosters healing and recovery. Experience firsthand how Stance Healthcare's furniture solutions can elevate your space, enhance patient experiences, and contribute to healing. Visit Stance Healthcare's Behavioral Health website at stancebh.com to learn more. 
 

Widening the popular behavioral health Flo Table and Chairs Collection
 

Stance is expanding the highly acclaimed and beloved Flo Table and Chairs Collection. Building upon its award-winning success and immense popularity, Stance has extended the Flo series to include a stunning new addition — the Flo Bed and Bedside Collection of furniture.

Designed with the utmost care and attention to detail, the Flo Bed and Bedside Collection seamlessly integrate with our existing Flo table and chairs. These additions allow for effortlessly matching the aesthetics and style of the Flo furniture throughout the behavioral health facility , creating a cohesive and harmonious environment. The Flo Bed and Bedside Collection encompass a range of essential pieces, including a bed, a bed with side storage, and a bedside cabinet. Furthermore, the line incorporates two already existing shelving units, offering even more versatility and storage solutions. Additionally, Stance Behavioral Health mattresses are available to accompany the beds, ensuring optimal comfort and support.

Like the existing Frontier collection, the Flo Bed and Bedside Collection boasts many remarkable features. These include fluid management for the bed, rounded corners and edges for enhanced safety, and a flush-to-wall design for efficient space utilization. The Stance behavioral health furniture is stain-resistant, seamless, and easy to clean, ensuring longevity and effortless maintenance. The single-side bed storage can be positioned to face left or right, providing flexibility in room layouts. The bedside cabinet has rails to keep items secure, combining practicality with aesthetics.

In our commitment to continuously innovate and provide the best solutions for patients and healthcare providers, Stance will be introducing three captivating new roto colors to the collection in the coming months - stay tuned! Responding to customers’ needs and feedback, the Flo Bed and Bedside Collection present a lower-height bed for patients who need easier accessibility. In addition, our healthcare furniture collection offers various optional features to meet diverse requirements and enhance functionality. These include an enclosed bottom, bolt-to-floor brackets, and a patient restraint module, allowing you to customize the furniture to suit specific needs and environments. The storage options within the Flo Bed and Bedside Collection are designed to accommodate books, journals, clothing, and personal belongings, allowing individuals to personalize their environment and feel at home.

Stance continues to push boundaries with the Flo Bed and Bedside Collection, delivering exceptional furniture solutions that blend functionality, aesthetics, and innovation. Stance will unveil the Flo Bed and Bedside patient room furniture at the upcoming NeoCon conference. As an industry-leading platform for commercial design, NeoCon serves as the perfect stage for the official launch of the latest Stance collection.

Meet Rosetta: versatile seating with a plinth base — and surfaces built to endure 

Inspired by our best-selling Attessa modular furniture series, Stance Behavioral Health introduces Rosetta — featuring a sturdy plinth base for high-use environments. Designed with the Behavioral Health space in mind, the Rosetta modular lounge furniture series aims to improve lives with features and functions that support a more welcoming environment for everyone involved.

Rosetta comes in all the same seat sizes of the original Attessa line, with the update of a plinth base instead of legs. Our Rosetta furniture features a standard alloy Marmoleum™ finish, but it can be ordered in any of Stance’s Marmoleum™ finishes. The Marmoleum™ plinth base design provides a customizable aesthetic while offering increased durability, strength and safety. And since it’s a modular seating collection, facilities can arrange every piece to their liking — and create a look and feel that’s built to last and fits their unique spaces. In all, Rosetta’s versatility, dependability and safety make it an ideal seating option for critical environments. 

What really makes this series stand out are its two coordinating tables that can be ganged to the seats to create an infinite number of configurations. The tables were inspired by the extremely durable and resilient Stance Resilia Drum tables. Like the Resilia tables, the tables in the new Rosetta line have a Marmoleum™ finish and solid surface top, making them incredibly durable and easy to maintain. Plus, with the array of finishes and surface colors available, it’s easy to find a look that fits any space. The Rosetta tables are rounded for safety and fit seamlessly with the seating options in the healthcare furniture series, but they also work great as standalone tables to add more functionality to certain spaces when needed.

With Marmoleum™ finishes on both the plinth base and the table, Rosetta is built to endure heavy use day in and day out. And that’s by design. Marmoleum™ is an extremely durable and sustainable surface material that is made to withstand the test of time. Plus, it’s non-toxic and easy-to-clean, which helps ensure patient safety and makes it easier on providers to maintain.

With this latest addition, Stance Behavioral Health continues to push the boundaries of healthcare furniture and improve lives by design. Visit StanceBH.com to see the full line of Rosetta furniture today.  

See How Stance Is Improving Lives By Design At The Center For Health Design


 

Stance, an award-winning, industry-leading healthcare furniture manufacturer, is proud to continue our partnership with the non-profit Center for Health Design (CHD) for another year. The partnership began in 2018, and it’s been a great fit because both organizations are dedicated to advancing design best practices education  in the healthcare space.

 
CHD is the go-to non-profit for education that equips today’s industry professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to support and improve healthcare quality through better design. They help empower healthcare professionals through research that demonstrates the value of design to improve health outcomes, patient experience, and staff performance. Stance has a proven track record of Improving Lives By Design by manufacturing thoughtful, intuitive healthcare furniture that supports healing. Together, we can make a bigger impact and improve even more lives.

For this year, our partnership’s event programming kicks off on April 27 with two webinars, Caregiver Well-Being in Mental and Behavioral Healthcare Environments and D3 — The Intersection of Diagnosis, Dignity and Design for Behavioral and Mental Health Communities in Crisis.
 

• Caregiver Well-Being in Mental and Behavioral Healthcare Environments will be hosted by Arien Cartrette, an award-winning architect who combines his design sensibilities, technical expertise and humanity to create places of recovery. His innovative approach to the design of psychiatric healthcare environments and stigma-dissolving architectural design solutions give him a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge. He is a contributor to the 2022 FGI Guidelines for the Design and Construction of Healthcare Facilities as a topic group member for behavioral health crisis units. Arien will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated a staff shortage problem that had been growing since 2016, and what the industry can do to combat that.
   

• D3 — The Intersection of Diagnosis, Dignity and Design for Behavioral and Mental Health Communities in Crisis will provide guidance on community crisis center planning, design and construction to ensure maximum dignity and accurate diagnosis for individuals served within a safe and restorative environment of care. Presenters will share a care model that fills the gap in design recommendations for a standalone community crisis response that lies between intensive outpatient and acute hospital settings. They will also establish a basic design framework with service definition, highlight research findings, give an update on community responsiveness to the 988 crisis hotline, provide suggestions for regulatory responsiveness and share several case studies.
   

In addition to the April 27 webinars, there will be more workshops and webinars on the schedule in the coming months that will feature insights from industry experts on a number of topics relating to healthcare design:  
 

• Behavioral & Mental Health Virtual Workshop on May 25th, 11 am-4 pm EST: To meet the increased demand for care, support improved care, and enhance staff safety, today’s design, facility and care professionals have to advance their understanding of the environment's impact on behavioral health care and learn how to incorporate the best and latest design solutions throughout all healthcare settings. This one-day virtual workshop provides the latest in design thinking for behavioral health care and health settings and offers state-of-the-art best practices through thought leader presentations, case studies, and panel discussions.
• Two webinars on August 17th: information forthcoming
• In-person workshop in Minneapolis on September 28th: information forthcoming.
   

 This ongoing partnership is just another example of Stance’s commitment to Improving Lives by Design and how we are supporting a better overall healthcare experience for all. To learn more about what makes this partnership work so well and to get more information on the partnership events, go to https://www.healthdesign.org/events.

Delve Magazine: Interview with Suzanne Fawley, IDS, CHID

Behavioral Health Interior Design Consultant, Stance Healthcare

How did you first become interested in design? What are some of your earliest memories exploring this interest?

I spent a lot of time in my room as a little girl, and as I think back I always decorated my room seasonally; dandelion flower arrangements, clover chains as window swags, Christmas trees, pine cones and lots of lights if I could find them. This evolved into spending hours drawing, painting and designing floor plans of creations in my mind. I had no idea at that point I wanted to be a designer, probably didn’t even know what designers actually did but I guess I was practicing design even at that point.

What inspired you to pursue this interest as a profession? How has that inspiration evolved over the years?

As I went off to college I thought I wanted to be a teacher. I loved working with kids and with the exception of my parents, many in my family were teachers, principals and counselors. I thought a teaching degree was the way to go. After completing a BS in Education I began to feel the call to design when the design of a classroom, or friend’s homes, or layout of a building began to be of great interest. I then went on and added a couple more years in school to gain a BA in Interior Design with an Art minor. With regard to how my inspiration has involved I think it is more of a compilation of the meaningful and exciting Interior Design, Brand Design and Product Design roles I “fell” into. I didn't set out to be a designer as I mentioned; it called me as a way of helping people create a better daily living experience, through supporting brands that actually feel and breathe the product, and product design that leads to true environment specific solutions.

Is there a female mentor who has been particularly influential in your personal and professional development? What are some lessons you learned from her?

This is the easiest question to answer. My first Interior Design job was with an interiors only firm located here in NC. Hayden Design Associates is a woman and minority-owned business and until recently, when the company was sold after 40 years, was owned and operated by Donna Hayden Keene, IIDA. Donna was and continues to be my greatest mentor, as she has been for many designers. Though I left the firm after several years, we still today work on “specialty projects” together and she serves as one of my most valuable focus group members and closest friends. She is a trailblazer for women, strong and kind, creatively talented but also “creatively” able to pull the company through the lean years by putting people first, clients first – yet skillfully able to bring in new business through a variety of market segments. I remember in the 90’s she made sure we all worked on “professional presence”; in those days we wore suits, dresses and skirts to the office. She taught me a lot about presentation. Always understanding that if we were not put together, how could a client trust us to envision a space that would encourage their company growth or living environment. Today things are a bit more relaxed but I still only wear solid colors that blend with the scheme I am presenting or black that doesnt compete with the desired goal. She emphasized the client’s goals first even when it was our job to figure out what their objectives need to be to achieve the goal. Though she has won many industry awards, she has never been concerned with personal accolades. A great lesson. Win for the client and ultimate user… a successful outcome. She is and was, a teacher and designer. I guess that is enough said about her influence on me. 

How did you get into healthcare design specifically? And, what were some of the formative experiences you had learning about this industry and the importance of it?

Wow, a big question. Early in my career I began to space plan, provide interior design, furniture specification & budget planning for numerous MOB’s (Medical Office Buildings), Dental practices, Senior Living, Behavioral Health and overall general healthcare work. At the same time I worked on Hotel, Banking, a variety of commercial buildings and once in a while a client’s home. I now realize the opportunity to design for so many types of environments in different work environments was a learning decade, a true benefit and has led me to understanding the commonality among all of them: the user experience. Understanding the nuances, codes and requirements per type of space comes in time, and additional education is critical. However, understanding that you get the most critical information from your programming team, from user-observation and listening carefully to the people you are working for.

What are some of the most interesting projects you have been involved in?

Most recently and healthcare related, would be assisting with the soon to open Idaho Youth Ranch for children experiencing mental health therapy, the newly opened Steve Smith Foundation Behavioral Health Urgent Care in Charlotte, NC, several Addiction Recovery centers, a wonderful Cancer Hospital and a couple of Prison hospitals. In general, throughout my past, there are so many. How about a three story, 100’ Catamaran luxury yacht, an Art museum, Planetarium and concert event space, a 200 year old mansion, various hotels and automotive dealerships? All are different, all were hard work and fun, all experiential!

You have done commercial and residential design, and are now an award-winning product designer. Tell us about how you approach furniture design?

Designing products requires great skill and time. Stance Healthcare has been the perfect partner to design product with. They have skilled product development individuals led by Cesar Fenandes, and have a leadership team that has come to know how important the patient experience is, beyond developing a product just to fill out a line package. Several years ago I was privileged to work with Stance and the Brandon Agency as the brand direction was determined. Together a meaningful tagline for Stance was developed, Improving lives by Design. At this point in my career this mantra, the way they allow for thoughtful design, is more important than individual design awards. Though very enjoyable :)

What is your favorite of the collections you have helped design? What are you most proud of about them?

The Resilia table collection is probably my most loved collection because it was one that was pitched to a major manufacturer and rejected. I believed in the product and knew that it would perform exceptionally well in every high-use environment. Resilia uses a high-performance flooring material created out of natural materials, with no use of synthetic materials like PVC plastic or polyolefin, around the surround of the table. It is nearly indestructible and very safe for Behavioral Health and any high-use space. It is a little beast with every detail intentionally designed. Stance Healthcare’s President, Bruce Kennedy and CEO, Carl Kennedy listened to the concept, reviewed the drawings and within 6 months it was produced and entered into 2017 Healthcare Design where it won the top Nightingale Gold Award in its category. Stance is a “never say no” company when it comes to designing solutions.

In your opinion, how is healthcare delivery impacted by the environment care is delivered in? How does the design work you do play a role in the patient or care provider’s experience?

Environment is everything! Many years ago I walked into a blood draw medical office building to get blood drawn myself. I was horrified and as an interior designer I saw everything. The chairs were dated and covered in outdated upholstery with dried blood on them, the vinyl seats were cracked, the carpet was frayed and the walls were beaten up with tears in the wallcovering and gauges in the paint. At that moment I wanted to hand out my card and volunteer to “fix” this office. As a patient who already felt vulnerable, I questioned the care and the professionalism of the healthcare workers because of that environment. My thought was that if they didn't care about their work environment, how was I to think they would take care of me? This was long before brand image was integrated into design but this company even today, is a very large and well-known lab company – a true example of the connection between the designed environment and patient (user) experience. As they say, the whole by way of its parts. The caregivers were skilled but I just felt “gross”. Healthcare above all, is impacted by all of those parts and must give great attention to the total experience one has. Architects and Interior Designers design with this in mind.

What are some ways you support young women starting out in this industry? What avenues for professional development do you encourage them to explore?

love working with young designers and have had interns along the way. Today I have designers call me after the CEU I give just to chat, to gain perspective and hopefully use the advice and banter to excite them, to help them see the value in design. WE truly have a wonderful way to impact lives in such a powerful way, and that includes all aspects of design. Today, I have my hands in so many different types of projects that each have a way of inspiring me and challenging my mind to stay fresh, think bigger and differently.

What’s next for you?

Presently,  I am partnering with Stance on a new furniture collection in the making for Behavioral Health environments, one that does not look or feel clinical or appear plastic or as “safety furniture”. It is the culmination of my thoughts on designing for dignity through universal, experiential design. The collection will be able to be used in many applications, Behavioral Health, General Healthcare, Contract and Hospitality spaces. With regard to Interior Design, assisting interior designers and architects gives me a lot of pleasure. I can be a sounding board which hopefully helps them and I continue to learn. Team input truly leads to the best design outcome.

Anything else?

With regard to Interior Design in general, I will always keep my hands in interesting “experiential” projects. Personally, I’ll keep planning parties, design floral arrangements and most importantly spend valuable time with my husband, three children and three grandchildren, encouraging them to see and experience the beautiful details in life and then create their own.

Read the interview in My Resource Library's Delve Magazine

Full Circle: The Evolution of our Award-Winning Product Lines
 

Stance is dedicated to improving lives by design, and our commitment to innovation is central to that mission. As a team, we are always listening to market needs to evolve product offerings that support the best healthcare experience possible for everyone involved. Whether that’s creating entirely new products, adding functionality features to existing products or refreshing our best-sellers with new finishes and fabrics, Stance is constantly working to find ways to improve more lives through better design.

As we reflect on our track record of supporting this commitment, three of our product lines in particular serve as excellent examples of how we’ve delivered and evolved top-performing, long-lasting products: the award-winning Resilia drum table, Flo chair and table series, and Frontier casegoods collection for Behavioral Health.
 

Resilia is one of the most popular, and most acclaimed Stance products for a reason. Born from a need for a safe, durable alternative to laminate drum waiting room tables, Resilia uses Marmoleum™ finishes to provide extreme durability and make the tables easy to clean and maintain. The 2017 HCD Nightingale Award winner offers a variety of drum tables in different sizes and shapes that help bring warmth and comfort to the healthcare space, and in recent years, Stance has expanded the line to meet the demands of modern healthcare. The Resilia waiting room drum tables are now available in an oval shape and 8 new colorful Marmoleum finishes, and soon the Resilia table without a plinth base will be available as a standard offering. These innovations give healthcare providers the flexibility to find a table that works for their space’s functionality and aesthetic needs.

Another great example of Stance’s product innovation in motion is Flo. The Chair and Table series is clean and beautifully designed and provides a calming aesthetic for the Behavioral Health space. The rotationally molded chair and table are safe, durable, inviting, and easy to clean — making it great for heavy-use areas in the Behavioral Health space. Its unique combination of ease-of-use, design and durability won Flo the Gold at the 2021 HCD Nightingale Awards — and the popular collection is only getting better. The Flo chair is now available with replaceable chair seat and back pads to help add more comfort and another design element to the space. And with plans to expand our Flo line in the future, we will continue to push the boundaries of functional design to create furniture that works harder for healthcare spaces everywhere.

Last but certainly not least, a 2019 Gold winner at the HCD Nightingale Awards, our Frontier line of Behavioral Health-grade, rotationally molded patient room furniture will expand its product offerings this year with the addition of a lower bed and bedside. The Frontier line is designed to be safe, durable, and inviting, providing a sense of calm and comfort for patients in Behavioral Health environments. Frontier is available with a number of options to provide more functionality and safety to suit the needs of specific healthcare spaces. With the upcoming addition of the lower bed and bedside, the Frontier line will be even more versatile and accommodating.

Stance will continue to research, listen to market needs, and keep up with industry trends to provide the most functional, well-designed and innovative healthcare furniture on the market. Because innovation never stops. 

From intake to therapy to discharge, Behavioral Health treatment transpires in a variety of different settings. Depending on the level of need and the severity of the diagnosis, patients also require varying levels of supervision in different phases of therapy — and therapy itself can vary from patient to patient, impacting how often the patient interacts with peers, as well as how much security and observation are needed to keep the patient safe.
 

As such, Behavioral Healthcare spaces typically fall into one of five different general levels of supervision — each informing its own specific setting type and corresponding standards for products supporting it. These levels were originally developed by James M. Hunt, AIA, founder of Behavioral Health Facility Consulting, and referenced by Kimberly McMurray, AIA, principal with BHFC Design. At Stance Behavioral Health, we follow these levels as our guide to determine what types of Stance furniture fits best in each type of space.   
 

Maximum Supervision, or Level I: These spaces are restricted, staff-only areas that the patient never enters. These could be staff rooms for respite or collaborative spaces for consultation and meetings. Stance Behavioral Health offers a variety of durable and well-designed product lines that can fill out these rooms and fit any aesthetic. Our Accent Chairs, Disc Base Tables, Trumpet Base Tables, Valet Lounge Chairs, and Verity Lounge Chairs are great for Level 1 spaces and help provide the perfect mix of form and function for the healthcare staff to enjoy.

High Supervision, or Level II: These areas, in which patients are highly supervised, are found behind self-closing and self-locking doors. Patients are not to be left alone in these spaces, which can include counseling rooms, activity rooms, interview rooms, group rooms and corridors where staff are regularly present. The furniture in these spaces is typically lighter weight and easily moveable. In equipping them, behavioral and mental health providers should select furniture appropriate for the unit location and the patient population served there. It’s not uncommon for lighter-weight furniture to be moved from lower-risk areas to higher-risk areas, so care should be taken to be conscious of this and minimize any unnecessary risks.

Stance Behavioral Health offers a wide range of Level 2-compliant furnishings, from seating and tables to bookcases and cabinets. Our Legend, Oasis, Vista II, and Onward product lines offer unweighted seating options with open arms and legs. For high-quality steel and plastic chairs used for seating at tables, our Accent, Jax, and Flo chairs provide a high-end look with practical durability. Our Valet, Carson, Cassia, and Verity lines of upholstered lounge chairs provide a residential feel that is often preferred in Level 2 spaces.

The tables in our Pier line have individual legs at the corners to accommodate a number of uses and activities — helping provide safe surface areas for behavioral health patients in Level 2 spaces. Our Fortress and Liberty lines of laminate casegoods offer storage options like bookcases and cabinets.

Low Supervision, or Level III: These areas are spaces that are not behind self-closing and self-locking doors, where patients may spend time with minimal supervision. Some of these areas include lounges, day rooms, open nurse stations, and corridors where staff are not regularly present.

For the seating in these areas, closed-arm and closed-leg chairs that are weighted or securely fixed are preferred. The Jensen Lounge, Onward Lounge and Bench, and extended-arm Verity lounge chair are all great options for Level III areas. High-quality plastic chairs for use at tables, like our Flo Chair, are also acceptable.

It’s suggested that the tables in these spaces do not have individual legs at the corners. Our Disc Base multi-purpose tables, Flo tables, and a variety of Drum tables work well in these spaces since they have a pedestal instead of legs. They are also weighted for added safety to prevent them from being thrown or stacked. Our Gibraltar line of laminate casegoods offers bookshelves and cabinets for Level III spaces, keeping patients’ needs, safety, and wellness in mind.

Minimal Supervision, or Level IV: These areas are places where patients spend a great deal of time alone with minimal or no supervision, such as patient rooms (semi-private and private) and patient toilets. It’s important for furniture in these areas to be safe, comforting, and secure, minimizing the potential for patient harm. Stance Behavioral Health offers a variety of thoughtful seating, storage and bedding options to fit the needs of patients in these spaces.

Our Flo Chair and Frontier Chair + Desk set give patients a place for rest in the privacy of their own room, while the Frontier Wardrobe and Frontier Cabinet provide safe, secure, and versatile storage options. The Frontier Mattress is designed specifically for behavioral health spaces and helps provide a safe, comfortable place for rest and respite in Level IV areas. 

General Areas, or Level V: These are areas where staff interact with newly admitted patients who present potential unknown risks, or where patients may be in a highly agitated condition. As a result, these areas fall outside the parameters of the environmental risk map and require special considerations for the safety of patients and staff. Level V areas include admission rooms, seclusion rooms, and restraint rooms.

Stance offers a variety of safe, inviting lounge seating for these spaces with its Onward, Jensen, and Verity Lounge Chairs. We also offer high-quality metal seating options like our Legend and Oasis chairs, which can have weight added or can be bolted down to the floor for added security. For the safety of everyone in these areas, we recommend the staff replace their desk chairs with a chair that has smooth, rounded edges and can be bolted to the floor, like our Caliber Chair. For storage and surface needs in these high-risk areas, our Fortress and Liberty cabinets and desks provide weight, security, and durability where it’s needed most.

While patient safety and well-being are always top of mind in everything we do, it’s increasingly important to understand what that means in the different areas of a Behavioral Health facility. The solutions above reflect general recommendations found in the Behavioral Health Design Guide, and none are free of risk. While there are no official guidelines for Behavioral Health facilities, it is up to each facility to determine its level of risk and specify the appropriate furnishings for its needs. To learn more about all of our different furniture options available for Behavioral Health spaces, visit stancebh.com today.

A New Look For Flo

The Flo multi-purpose chair is a seamless and safe design that encourages the user to sit back and relax in Behavioral Health spaces. Stance Behavioral Health has increased the comfort and flexibility of this popular award-winning collection with the introduction of upholstered seats and back pads for the ergonomically designed Flo chair. Alongside 6 soothing color finishes, the seat and back pads allow for another layer of customization by using healthcare-grade fabrics to add a pop of color or emphasize calmness. Paired with the Flo table, which provides durable versatility with its seamless laminate surfaces and pick-proof molded polyurethane edges, this collection allows users to dine safely in comfort or participate in group therapy in shared, intensive use spaces.