InsaneJournal

THE ART ROOM

While not the most elaborate of things given the restrictions placed on the supplies, the art room is one of the most cherished rooms in the hospitals. Patients are given once a week to come and create art as they wish in groups. With three cupboards filled with paint, several drawers of colored pencils, and all the paper you could ask for, Cheshire's art room is enough for aspiring artists to show their creative side, and the rest of the patients to simply have a bit of fun.

THE BEDROOMS

The Victorian home didn't leave bedrooms with simple white walls. No, each dorm is elaborately colored in bright colors with plenty of space to hang pictures and important documents onto the walls. Each room is equipped with two beds, two dressers for clothes, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom. Rooms for people with eating disorders will unfortunately have the bathrooms padlocked for two hours after any meal. Doors lock from the outside and have one small window at eye level for doctors and nurses to check in on their patients through. ALL WINDOWS TO THE OUTSIDE ARE BARRED.

THE COMMON ROOM

The Common Room is a large room that any patient deemed appropriate enough to interact with other patients may gather. It has a television, a pool table (which can only be used with permission), a foozball table, a large table with several chairs, games, a large sofa, a loveseat, and large cushioned chairs for people to curl up and read in. Video games can be requested, but only used when no one is watching a movie or basic cable on the TV. The room is constantly monitored, only empty around meal times and after hours.

THE COURTYARD

A small opening in the center of the building, the courtyard is open for a few hours during the day for patients who aren't permitted to go on the grounds to enjoy some fresh air. It is the designated area for all smokers and several chairs and small tables are kept around for people who wish to eat their meals out amongst the small garden and trees. Orderlies must be in the courtyard at all times when patients are outside and the doors are kept open. They are padlocked during closed hours.

THE GROUNDS

Cheshire Crossings lies on over 50 acres of land, with the hospital being located closest to the gates for easy access for visitors, doctors, and patients checking in. Behind it lies a large field with a gazebo, a boarded path, and a series of stables. Patients are allowed to go riding with either the attendance of or written permission of their therapist. Lessons are provided for those who wish to learn. Of the 50 acres, nearly 40 of it is completely filled with woods with several hiking and riding paths throughout the trees. The perimeter is surrounded by a large gate and there have been very few successful escapes from the premises.

THE LIBRARY

The library holds several books by a variety of authors, all shelved in sections by genre and in alphabetical order by the author's last name. Patients must obtain permission from their doctors before being allowed into the library on their own. They may request books to be brought to the hospital and may check the books out from the library to bring back from their own home. Patients still attending high school and below are permitted to use the library for school work and are supplied with computers for research purposes only.