22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY november 30-december 6, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Ohana’s architecture employs Mother Nature as part of the behavioral health team to treat young patients. Photos by Daniel Dreifuss Introduction by Pam Marino The graceful curves of the new Montage Health Ohana campus have been rising out of the earth among the oak trees along a ridge above Highway 68 in Monterey for the last three years, a harbinger of the healing to come. Monterey County’s first behavioral health inpatient treatment center for youth, combined with outpatient services for children, teens and their families, Ohana—named for the Hawaiian word for “family”—was purposely crafted to incorporate nature as part of the patients’ prescriptions. It’s finally set to open after a celebration that was scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 29, after the Weekly’s print deadline. The exterior and interior design of the campus utilize evidence-based design to promote healing and wellness. The interior, with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over nearby rolling hills, brings nature into the space to give young patients and their families a calm setting to breathe and relax. The exterior offers places to stop and reflect, or engage with nature through recreational activities. It’s all a part of the plan for effectively treating children and teens who are experiencing mental illness, and is meant to be the exact opposite of what people would traditionally think of as a cold, harsh institutional setting. Ohana’s new 55,600-square-foot campus, made possible by a $105.8 million donation from Roberta “Bertie” Bialek Elliott in 2018 toward launching the program and construction of Healing Space
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