Washoe Tribal Healing Center Master Plan

Seven Generations Architecture + Engineering (7GAE) and Innova Group worked with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California to provide a needs assessment, financial feasibility study, and concept design to expand behavioral health services at the Washoe Tribal Healing Center, which provides healthcare services to Native Americans.

The design team began by touring two existing medical facilities operated by the Washoe Tribe, one located in Minden, Nevada, the other in Gardnerville, Nevada. The design team met with various staff and end users to learn more about each facility’s deficiencies and space needs to determine which site would be best suited for the new behavioral health facility.

Ultimately, the Gardnerville site was selected. The existing 8,873-square-foot facility currently provides behavioral health services, medication management, substance abuse treatment, prevention services, counseling, and wellness services, which would relocate to the new facility upon completion. The new 16,500-square-foot behavioral health facility will be completed in 2024.

Cultural elements integrated into the design feature an interpretation of a traditional Washoe dwelling as an entrance canopy and incorporating the Tribe’s native language into signage and wayfinding throughout the healing center.

In addition to addressing behavioral health, the facility will provide intensive inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. Patients will complete an initial inpatient treatment program lasting up to 28 days. Next, they will receive outpatient treatment, consisting of onsite counseling and therapeutic services. Lastly, patients will complete the program by attending an outpatient/peer program on a regular basis.

One challenge the design team faced was time constraints. At the time, the Tribe was pursuing a Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure (BHCIP) Launch Ready grant to provide funding for the project. The design team had a tight timeline to complete all work before the grant application was due. The design team solved this challenge by working closely together to make sure everyone was fully up-to-speed regarding the project and was successful in issuing the design package in a timely manner.

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