Built for healing: How McLean Hospital’s campus is evolving

Built for healing: How McLean Hospital's campus is evolving for the future

By Billy Brittingham

Hundreds of signatures now rest within the steel framework of McLean Hospital's future child and adolescent campus.

At a recent beam-signing ceremony, staff, leaders, donors and members of the McLean community gathered to leave their names and messages on a structural beam before it was lifted into place. The milestone marked more than progress on a construction project, it represented a shared investment in the future of behavioral healthcare and in the generations of young people and families who will one day learn, heal and grow within those walls.

The moment also reflects something larger about McLean's history. For more than 200 years, the hospital has recognized that healing is shaped not only by clinical care, but also by the environment in which that care takes place. Its historic buildings, open green spaces and natural setting have long provided patients with a sense of calm, dignity and refuge, reinforcing the belief that physical surroundings play an important role in recovery and well-being.

That philosophy remains as relevant today as ever. While behavioral health treatment has evolved dramatically over the past two centuries, McLean's commitment to creating spaces that support healing continues to guide the hospital's approach to facilities planning, campus development and infrastructure investment.

Under the leadership of Susan Szulewski, MD, MBA, president and chief operating officer for McLean and Mass General Brigham Psychiatry and Mental Health, the hospital is taking a comprehensive approach to campus renewal, balancing stewardship of a historic campus with the needs of a modern health care organization.

The most visible example of that future is the new child and adolescent campus taking shape along McLean's loop road. Designed specifically to support children, adolescents, students and families, the campus will bring together educational and clinical programs in an environment tailored to the unique needs of young people. The project represents more than a relocation of existing services. It is an opportunity to expand access to care, strengthen connections between programs and create a more integrated continuum of behavioral health services for future generations.

The campus is expected to open in phases beginning in 2027, with educational programs welcoming students first, followed by residential and partial hospital programs.

The child and adolescent campus is only one part of a broader evolution occurring across McLean. From modernized research facilities and upgraded infrastructure to new initiatives designed to enhance the patient experience, the hospital is making strategic investments that connect its historic mission with the needs of the future.

Among those investments is a major renovation of the McLean Imaging Center, supported through philanthropy, that will prepare the space for advanced research imaging capabilities while expanding access to clinical MRI services. Other projects are strengthening critical infrastructure and modernizing building systems that support daily operations across the hospital.

Just as important are efforts focused directly on the environment of care. A new Healing Environment Initiative will explore how thoughtful design can promote comfort, dignity and recovery on inpatient units. The initiative reflects growing evidence that elements such as lighting, artwork, furnishings, color and access to calming spaces can influence the way patients experience treatment and healing.

The goal is simple but powerful: to create environments that support clinical care while helping patients feel safe, respected and hopeful.

Beyond individual buildings, McLean continues to invest in the beauty and functionality of its campus through improvements to grounds, wayfinding and shared spaces. New signage planned for Pleasant Street will create a more welcoming arrival experience, while ongoing planning for campus enhancements seeks to improve accessibility, navigation and the overall experience for patients, visitors and staff.

That balance between preservation and progress is central to McLean's identity. Caring for historic buildings often requires specialized expertise and thoughtful planning, but stewardship does not mean standing still. It means making deliberate investments that allow these spaces to continue serving patients, clinicians, researchers and learners for decades to come.

Today, McLean's evolution can be seen in many forms: in the steel rising from the ground on the child and adolescent campus, in modernized research facilities, in more therapeutic inpatient environments and in the infrastructure that quietly supports every aspect of patient care.

Together, these efforts reflect a shared commitment to preserving what makes McLean special while preparing for what comes next. With the hospital in its third century of service, investments in facilities, infrastructure and the environment of care will help ensure that McLean remains a place where healing, innovation and hope can thrive for generations to come.