BOULDER COMMUNITY HEALTH - CRESTRON
Boulder Community Health (BCH) is a community owned and operated not-for-profit health system dedicated to providing high-quality medical care in Boulder, CO and surrounding areas. BCH has offered the broadest and deepest range of behavioral health services in Boulder County for the past 100 years.
“OUR VISION WAS TO PROVIDE STAFF AND
PATIENTS WITH TOOLS TO HELP REDUCE
STRESS AND SUPPORT RECOVERY AND
WELLNESS. WITH CRESTRON, WE WERE
ABLE TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT
THAT PROVIDES OUR PATIENTS WITH AN
EXPERIENCE UNIQUE TO OUR MENTAL
HEALTH FACILITY”
— Marjon Pekelharing RN, BSN, PhD - RN Manager Inpatient Behavioral Health, Boulder Community Health
THE CHALLENGE
For its Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion, BCH wanted to explore how the addition of tunable lighting could improve the lives of patients. The innovative, thoughtfully designed facility provides a healing environment in which different levels of care support patients on their road to wellness.
THE SOLUTION
BCH is proud to be an early adopter of new technologies and medical techniques that improve care for their patients. Research has suggested a link between the body’s natural circadian rhythm and stress reduction. This inspired BCH to deploy an advanced lighting solution that would help patients in their healing process, while being adaptable and easy to use and manage for staff. Working with lighting consultant Visual Interest, BCH standardized on a Crestron tunable white lighting system with DALI® lighting control throughout the Pavilion.
“WE WANTED TO GIVE PATIENTS A SENSE
OF INDEPENDENCE. CRESTRON LIGHTING
PROVIDED US WITH A WAY TO GIVE
PATIENTS”
— Marjon Pekelharing RN, BSN, PhD - RN Manager Inpatient Behavioral Health, Boulder Community Health
THE TECHNOLOGY
Crestron Green Light® photosensors continually monitor the amount of daylight coming through the windows. Using this information, the Crestron control system automatically adjusts room lighting, accordingly. “Our staff and patients have found it is more pleasant to have circadian lighting versus the bright, white light at night,” says Pekelharing. “The inpatient unit is taking part in a research study focusing on the effects the circadian lighting has on physical symptoms of staff working the night shift, such as headaches, tiredness, nausea.”
When a space is left unoccupied, ceiling-mounted occupancy sensors throughout the facility provide reliable motion-detection to reduce energy usage. Cresnet® partition sensors, designed with hospitality environments in mind, use an infrared beam to sense the position of movable partitions within a space for further automation. The Cresnet communications network enables direct connection to a Crestron control system for integrated lighting and climate control. Beyond the automated features of the system, patients and staff also have the option to manually adjust room lighting using sleek Crestron Cameo® keypads.
Crestron Fusion® monitoring and scheduling software adds another layer of intelligence to the facility. With the data collected, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have been able to analyze the effectiveness of the lighting control system as well as observe how the patients and staff are using it.
“WITH CRESTRON, WE WERE ABLE TO
REPLICATE THE EXPERIENCE OF NATURAL
SUNLIGHT FOR PATIENTS AND STAFF
BY AUTOMATING CHANGES IN COLOR
TEMPERATURE AND LIGHTING INTENSITY
THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE DAY”
— Alyssa Weber, PE, LEED AP BD+C - Controls Manager, Visual Interest
RESULTS
With Crestron circadian lighting and lighting control, BCH can not only offer an environment that promotes healing for patients, but also a more soothing environment for everyone. “Patients frequently say their rooms feel like a hotel and sometimes they don’t want to leave the hospital,” explains Pekelharing. “They appreciate having control over the lighting in their room and being able to adjust it to meet their needs makes them feel more relaxed and comfortable.”
Boulder Community Health was completed in collaboration with Crestron Electronics, Visual Interest, WSP, Boulder Associate Architects, Sturgeon Electric, Crum Electric Supply, QED Broomfield & Boulder Community Health.
This case study is written and provided by Crestron Electronics, with support from Visual Interest.
See the Sage Journal article written on Boulder Community Health HERE.