$70m launch for new mental health approach

Two new private hospitals have opened with the goal of providing a better way of treating mental health issues.

Avive Health, Australia's newest integrated private mental health services business, has launched with new sites in Queensland and Victoria.

The company aims to support patients' health and wellbeing rather than simply treating illness.

"We've established Avive Health so it's beyond just a hospital stay," Co-founder and Co-CEO Greg Procter said.

"Although hospitals are a key part of our business, we're focused on delivering evidenced-based services throughout a person's entire mental health and wellness journey."

Avive Clinic Brisbane and Avive Clinic Mornington Peninsula – with a combined project value of $70 million – deliver a further 123 private mental health beds to the nation's health sector.

Co-founder and Co-CEO Mark Sweeney said the new facilities were "unlike anything seen before" due to their salutogenic design principles – a research-backed approach focused on creating environments to support patients, not just treat them.

"Our hospitals are designed specifically for mental health," he said.

"By recognising the connection between a person's health and their physical surroundings we've created environments that actively support recovery along every step of a patient's hospital treatment journey."

This includes interior design to support patients' emotional and spiritual states, as well as integrating indoors and out through nature, landscaping and natural light.

"We have also invested heavily into a range of building technologies and management systems such as circadian rhythm lighting, true presence sensors, electronic patient tablets, security and access control technology – all designed to improve the patient experience and ultimately, outcomes specific to what each of our patients need," Mr Sweeney said.

All aspects of the treatment journey are clinician-led from facility design to program offerings, with sophisticated inpatient treatment and therapy, complemented by day programs, outpatient specialist suites and home-based virtual support.

Patients are also given individual exercise physiology programs, based in each hospital's purpose-built gym areas.

Psychiatrist Dr Matt McDornan, Avive's Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, said the clinical model was built around patients presenting with a complex of symptoms, symptom experiences, traumas, self and relational issues, and substance use problems.

"When planning our new hospital developments, the business – in close consultation with our clinicians – has taken the opportunity to update the treatment experience alongside some key pieces that historically have been missing," he said.

"We see our facilities as not just delivering trauma-informed programs, but rather having a trauma-informed culture and facility itself so that both clinical and non-clinical staff can positively impact each patient's journey."

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