Boston Medical Center Health System (BMCHS) won ASHE’s Excellence in Health Care Facility Management Award for Brockton Behavioral Health Center, the nation’s first zero energy and zero carbon behavioral health hospital! This prestigious award recognizes facility managers who implement new or innovative programs or processes to optimize the physical environment and improve patient care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities faced a significant behavioral health crisis, with the Boston area experiencing one of the highest peaks in the nation for individuals waiting in emergency departments for inpatient behavioral health admissions. To address this critical shortage, BMCHS opened Brockton Behavioral Health Center in October of 2022. This state-of-the-art, 64,000 SF facility provides timely, specialized care for the community while also setting a new standard for energy efficiency and sustainability.
Building upon success with green technologies on Boston Medical Center’s main urban campus, BMCHS partnered with CMTA to transform a 1970s-built former nursing home into the nation’s first operational zero energy ready/zero carbon behavioral health center. This adaptive reuse project not only aligns with BMCHS’s goal to be carbon-neutral by 2030 but also ensures excellent patient outcomes and provides the optimal setting for recovery in its transformed environment.
“Brockton Behavioral Health Center is modeling how operational excellence can drive health care outcomes both for current patients and our communities,” said Nancy Hanright, senior director of real estate and space planning at BMCHS. “By investing in sustainable and green design, we can reduce the overall environmental impacts of health care. Our efforts prove that it’s possible for hospitals and health care networks to achieve sustainability and climate goals and commitments…Best of all, this model is replicable and can be used as a guide for other medical centers and systems.”