Compassionate Spaces
As part of the design of the new Garry Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre, Patient and Family Advisory council members like Natasha Thexton and Catherine Zingg shared their lived experiences to enhance the patient experience and create spaces for compassionate care.
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They called it the Goldilocks Test.
On an early evening in 2023, a group of former patients, family members and staff members from Sunnybrook’s Department of Psychiatry gathered in the Hospital lobby for an important mission: to test-sit every Sunnybrook chair in search of the ones that were “just right” for the new Garry Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre.
“We paid attention to little details because they make a big difference.”Natasha Thexton, a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC), which led the after-hours hunt.
Natasha and her mother, Catherine Zingg, a fellow PFAC member, chuckle at the memory. But the Goldilocks Test was, in fact, serious business, symbolizing Sunnybrook’s commitment to incorporating the lived experiences of patients and their families into every aspect of the Hurvitz Centre’s design and functioning, from lounges and lighting to paint colour and furniture.
“We had the Patient and Family Advisory Council at the design table from day one.”Anton Rabindran, director of capital development at Sunnybrook, who oversaw construction of the three-storey, 121,000-square-foot building, which opened in January 2025.
The new Hurvitz Centre was supported by more than 7,000 donors. A lead gift of $20 million by visionary donor Garry Hurvitz in 2014 inspired a groundswell of community support, including from those who contributed to Sunnybrook’s unrestricted fund.
Informed by lived experience
A working group of four PFAC members, including Natasha, met regularly with Anton and the design consultants to review the architectural drawings and the construction plans and progress as they unfolded.
They tapped into their unique experiences as former patients, family members and frontline staff to help inform an environment that prioritizes healing, well-being, dignity and comfort, like a suggestion to arrange waiting room chairs in an S-curve to allow better mobility for wheelchair users throughout the space.
For Natasha, that meant reliving the two weeks in 2015 when her brother, Michael, was admitted to Sunnybrook’s psychiatric inpatient unit and diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“Michael loved being outdoors, so seeing him confined to an 8-by-12 room with a small view of the sky that was mostly blocked by an air conditioner was devastating. It wasn’t a helpful environment for his healing and recovery,” she says.
Natasha and her PFAC colleagues advocated for private inpatient rooms with big windows and access to outside courtyards, as well as a communal dining room with a fireplace and view of the ravine.
When one former patient shared how bright fluorescent lights could exacerbate her symptoms, the committee recommended night lights in each of the 47 inpatient rooms and dimmable lighting in every ensuite bathroom.
Natasha shared another memory of having a meal with her brother on a tiny table in the only patient lounge, while another patient tried to watch television and an exercise bike sat unused in the corner.
Sunnybrook responded with multiple lounges throughout the Hurvitz Centre, each custom-designed for entertainment, family gathering or exercise.
Donor support of the Hurvitz Centre’s construction helped to bring the PFAC’s design influences to life in innovative spaces that today are supporting patients, families and staff in inpatient and outpatient settings.
“At every stage, we could see our ideas being put into action. We weren’t just sending comments into the void,” Natasha says. Seeing Sunnybrook take their experiences and opinions seriously made the committee feel valued. Several former patients even said it was meaningful part of their recovery journey.
Setting new standards for patient-centred design
The patient-centred approach to building design was so successful that it’s now the standard for every Sunnybrook capital project, says Anton.
At the Hurvitz Centre ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 2024, Natasha and Catherine spoke of their journey as full circle moment that began with Michael’s admission and their recruitment to the Patient and Family Advisory Council eight years ago.
“I could see the differences, big and small, all the results of our work. It gives me such hope,” Catherine says.
Natasha agrees. “My brother’s future is still uncertain, but this building offers a glimmer of hope and inspiration. We know how much a space can impact someone’s experience, so we are glad to know that if he needs inpatient care at Sunnybrook again, it can be in a private room, with a lock on the door and a beautiful view.
“Knowing the Hurvitz Centre exists means there is now one less barrier for families like ours.”
The patient’s name has been changed to maintain confidentiality and protect their identity.