Healthcare

Archoustics Northeast Utilizes LogiSon Sound Masking Solution on Facility for Child & Family Services

Child & Family Services, New Bedford facility

New Bedford, MA – Child & Family Services recently opened a state-of-the-art facility in New Bedford to support the needs of children and families within the community. Located at 965 Church Street, the facility offers a variety of mental health services including counseling, 24/7 community-based mobile crisis intervention as well as adult and youth crisis stabilization units, and a Community Behavioral Health Center, providing extended hours and open access for immediate care.

Designed by MEDCOM Architectural Group, the project involved converting a building formerly used by Regal House Furniture into the new complex. In consideration of the need to preserve patients’ and visitors’ privacy, the project team approached Archoustics Northeast to integrate a sound masking solution: the LogiSon Acoustic Network.

Child & Family Services, New Bedford facility

Sound masking is an electronic acoustical treatment used to enhance speech privacy and reduce distractions. Primarily known for its use in commercial offices, this technology also provides numerous benefits within healthcare and counseling environments. The solution works by introducing a background sound – similar to softly blowing air, but specifically engineered to cover conversations and disruptive noises – that helps create the acoustical conditions needed to protect patient confidentiality, reduce staff fatigue, and improve overall occupant comfort. Sound masking implementation also assists organizations with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance by demonstrating they have taken reasonable steps to safeguard orally communicated Protected Health Information (PHI). Representatives of Archoustics Northeast say protecting speech privacy is important anywhere personal information is exchanged, as well as outside and between treatment rooms and in areas adjacent to reception desks.

The company’s representatives say Archoustics Northeast takes a hands-on approach to the design and delivery of high-performing sound masking solutions. The company considers both the space’s architecture and the client’s needs when customizing each system’s design and uses a computerized tuning process to ensure a consistently comfortable and effective ambient sound level and spectrum throughout all treated areas. The LogiSon sound masking technology offers numerous local control points, allowing technicians to adjust the system’s output where required, while also affording the client the flexibility needed to accommodate evolving needs over time.

Archoustics Northeast worked closely with the project team during planning and implementation at the New Bedford location, including members of Child & Family Services, MEDCOM Architectural Group, general contractor RP Masiello, and Devine Technology, who installed the LogiSon Acoustic Network.

Archoustics Northeast also recently provided LogiSon sound masking for Child & Family Services’ Fall River location.