The State Hospital folks have been very generous with their clothing donations to ICM as part of our SECC campaign.  In one week our Hospital folks donated a completely full pickup load of clothes etc. that went to ICM for distribution to needy folks.  Awesome job- thanks.

I also had an opportunity to do a walk through of the new Forensic Unit this week and it was really exciting to see the progress.  Enough of the new facility is complete to get a feel for how it will look and it’s impressive.  The highlight for me is that it’s laid out so that there isn’t any visible fencing.  The ADHS design team used a concept that incorporates the building itself as the perimeter rather than relying on fencing to create the barrier.  It leads to a much more welcoming and therapeutic environment for our patients and staff.  The interior will have a large courtyard with shade that incorporates exercise and therapy areas, including room for a community garden for fresh vegetables.  The day rooms will have large windows that look toward the courtyard, which has a real campus feel.  The layout of the nursing stations is terrific because it allows for full visibility to all residential wings from the same spot.  It’s one thing to see all these things on a blueprint, but it’s quite another to see it in person.  It’s clear that our team did a great job working with the architects to create a unique and healthy feel.  The entire project is on track for completion on time in October 2011.  Nice work!

I also had a chance to go over all of the completed security infrastructure improvements at the ACPTC.  We now have a state of the art security control room that monitors numerous cameras, the new “shaker fence” monitoring system, the repaired electromagnetic perimeter units, and of course the miles of new razor wire and the pony fences.  The security improvements have been a several months-long project that we completed as a result of our security assessment in collaboration with the Department of Corrections after a detainee escaped from the facility last October.  It sure feels good to know that these new security features are now in place.