Why Riverside Is Updating Inpatient Behavioral Health Spaces

Are inpatient units changing, and what does that mean for care? April Balzhiser, MA, LCPC, ICDVP, Director Inpatient Behavioral Health at Riverside Healthcare, explains Riverside’s investment in modern behavioral health spaces and why local services matter. She discusses outdated public perceptions versus today’s voluntary, evidence-based, short-term stays focused on whole-person healing; clinical reasons for admission (safety risks, failure of ADLs, medication titrations); and specific design upgrades—circadian lighting to support sleep-wake cycles, nature-inspired pillars, and sound-absorbing ceiling panels—that reduce overstimulation and improve cognition. April also highlights how keeping behavioral health services in the community strengthens overall public health and how to reach Riverside’s 24/7 central intake at 844-442-2551 for help.