Florida State Hospital APD Forensic Facility

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities has committed to providing safe, effective, efficient, economically responsible behavioral healthcare for the citizens of Florida. To that end, the State has determined that the existing forensic facilities on the Florida State Hospital campus and existing facilities for the Pathways program at the Sunland Campus must be replaced. SLAM submitted a campus assessment and building analysis in October 2019. In total, the Campus assessment includes evaluation of approximately 3 million square feet of buildings and land occupied by over 1,100 residents and supported by over 2,100 staff members. The residents include individuals with severe and persistent major intellectual and developmental disabilities. Given Florida State Hospital’s aging facilities, critical infrastructure and security needs, and regulatory and operational challenges, the DCF and APD engaged SLAM as a third-party consultant to evaluate the facilities’ current condition, as well as future needs while considering options to renovate versus build new facilities. The condition of the facilities is one factor in the overall evaluation, combined with care quality versus modern “best practice” care and security standards.