Moving beyond ward based treatment: a public mental health hospital's transition to a treatment mall

Abstract

Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington D.C. implemented a treatment mall in 2002. The authors place the mall's development within the context of the Hospital's problems associated with ward-based treatment. They describe objectives in developing the mall, steps taken to prepare staff and hospitalized persons, and the mall's structure and programs. Providing treatment in a mall setting increased active treatment, expanded opportunities for trainees and staff, and improved monitoring of treatment activities.