After more than 18 months of planning and renovation, Rogers Memorial Hospital-Brown Deer is scheduled to open its doors on Monday. The 56-bed inpatient facility located at 4600 W. Schroeder Drive will provide inpatient care and stabilization for children, adolescents and adults dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction and other mental health disorders.
Brown Deer marks Rogers Behavioral Health System’s third acute care hospital, joining the Oconomowoc and West Allis locations. It also operates specialty outpatient treatment in Kenosha, Madison and Tampa, Fla.
“We are so proud of the efforts of everyone involved to add to our ability to help meet the great demand for this type of care,” said Pat Hammer, president and chief executive officer of Rogers Behavioral Health System. “After nearly 10 years in the area with a couple of our treatment programs, it was the right time for us to take this next step and broaden access to quality behavioral health for Brown Deer, northeast Milwaukee and the surrounding region.”
To celebrate the opening, a community open house will take place on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Guests can tour the facility; meet staff; stop at more than 12 community resource tables; hear recovery stories and musical performances; participate in experiential therapy demonstrations; and register for door prizes.
In September 2013, Rogers acquired the building at 4600 W. Schroeder Drive in which two Rogers specialty outpatient treatment programs leased space. Those services and additional, new programs have moved across the street to a second 44,000-square-foot building acquired by Rogers, which now primarily serves as a specialized outpatient treatment center.
The 55,000-square-foot inpatient facility has two primary wings housing an adult unit with 28 beds and a child and adolescent unit with 28 beds. It also houses individual and group therapy rooms, experiential therapy, a gym, training and educational space, admitting and registration, kitchen and cafeterias, and staff and administrative offices. Additionally, four recreational patios extend off the inpatient units.
Rogers Memorial Hospital-Brown Deer is the first Rogers facility to intentionally incorporate biophilia designs. Referring to the way humans have an emotional connection to nature and natural forms from Earth, biophilia is said to aid in a patient’s healing process.
The Brown Deer facility features a lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, patient rooms with large windows, a living wall featuring lush plants in the lobby, many wall murals with nature scenes, carpet made from discarded fishnets, and other natural and organic materials used throughout.
“The hospital facility has truly been transformed,” said Jim Kubicek, vice president of operations for Rogers–Brown Deer. “We know that environment is an important part of getting well. We wanted to bring the outdoors and elements of nature inside as much as possible.”
According to Kubicek, 120 staff members have been hired at the hospital, including nurses, psychologists, social workers and therapists, with another 80 expected to be hired. Interested candidates can learn more by visiting www.rogershospital.org/careers.
While the new hospital provides inpatient care to children, adolescents and adults, the Rogers facility across the street offers partial hospitalization programs (specialized outpatient care, six hours a day, five days a week) and intensive outpatient programs (specialized outpatient care, three hours a day, four days a week).
“We will bring the experience and expertise that Rogers is known for to this new Brown Deer location,” said Dr. Roger Luhn, medical director for Rogers–Brown Deer. “Our goal is to help our patients develop the resiliency they need on a path to recovery, using the best therapy and treatment options to do so. We’re excited that with this new campus, we can offer patients convenient access to both the quality inpatient and specialty outpatient treatment that they are looking for.”
