About This Location
Colorado's most modern mental health care facility. The new Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion and an adjacent parking structure with 403 spaces for patient and employee parking are now open.
“We want this new building to serve as a beacon of hope for those in our community suffering from mental illnesses,” says Grant Besser, president of the Boulder Community Health Foundation, whose ambitious fundraising helped to make the facility a reality. “From the beginning, our vision was to provide state-of-the-art approaches to treatment. Throughout its interior, the Pavilion incorporates nature and its representations to help reduce stress and expedite patients’ healing, making this building unlike any other mental health facility in the region.
Different Levels of Care to Meet Individual Needs
The Pavilion is a remarkable modernization of our mental health services, featuring different levels of care needed to support patients on their road to wellness:
- Boulder’s only adult Inpatient Behavioral Health program, incorporating the latest approaches to treating mental illness
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) performed by the most experienced ECT practitioners in the Mountain States region
- A Counseling Center that offers caring, effective individual and group therapy programs for adults
Fast Facts About Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion
- Della Cava Family Medial Pavilion is part of Boulder Community Health, one of two remaining independent, nonprofit health systems in the state.
- There are “rain gardens” around the building and garage designed to capture rainwater and filter out pollutants, rather than letting them head into the street and storm drains. This is an example of BCH’s efforts to clean up our environment.
- This 70,000-square-foot $45 million building and gardens were designed and planned by Boulder Associates Architects.
- The adjacent parking garage has 403 spaces that will be used by Della Cava patients and BCH employees. The new parking structure includes a ground-level café.
- Art installations within the Pavilion were selected to relieve stress, lift the human spirit, and instill a connection to nature.
- Screens scaling the outside of the garage transpose scenes of cottonwood trees near the trail along Boulder Creek, reflecting the character of Boulder and the building’s surroundings.
- The Pavilion and parking garage have state-of-the-art rooftop solar panels. The 47-kW system will produce about 62,000 kWh of electricity each year and an annual energy savings of $5,000.
- Heated sidewalks near the drop off area to the Pavilion and entry to the new parking garage will be a welcomed amenity during winter months. Heating cables underneath the sidewalks will help keep them clear of snow and ice.
Built on Belief in Nature’s Ability to Calm and Uplift
There’s compelling evidence suggesting a connection to nature can reduce stress and be an important part of the healing process. So, we’ve integrated nature into the Pavilion’s design in many ways:
- Windows positioned to frame stunning views of the Boulder Flatirons
- Art installations that capture Boulder’s beauty
- A garden and mindfulness path for fresh air, relaxation and quiet reflection
- Lighting to reinforce the body’s natural circadian rhythms
- Waiting areas, patient rooms and common areas that fill with bright and natural light
- Textures and colors reflecting nature such as wood-grain and copper paneling