Prodigy wood-like bedroom furniture is receiving high praise from behavioral healthcare professionals.  Administrators are no longer forced to make the difficult decision between bedroom furniture that is both safe, and residential in appearance.  Prodigy is the result of years of Norix innovation in behavioral healthcare.  For over 35 years, Norix has built a reputation for creating trusted furniture solutions for highly demanding environments.  Furniture that is durable, safe, and easy to clean is the foundation of Norix products.  Recent research indicates that home-like furnishings leads to positive outcomes in behavioral healthcare patients and staff.  Prodigy represents the intersection of safety, durability, and humanizing appeal.  

Since the announcement of Prodigy, the market has shown an overwhelmingly positive response, including many questions.  

Brad Karl, Director of Marketing, is just the right person to answer these questions.  As an innovator in the durable goods industry, Brad has been integral in the continual push towards humanizing healthcare environments.

Q:  What has the leading force in the development of Prodigy

Brad Karl:  Research shows the importance of the environment in which we treat individuals, especially in behavioral healthcare.  It makes sense that a home-like atmosphere will help with mental health, but evidence-based research shows precisely how important it is.  As we’ve continued to respond to market forces, two things became abundantly clear.  Administrators are looking for safe and durable goods that are residential in appearance, and current market offerings can be better.

Q:  What went into the decision to make the appearance of Prodigy wood-like?

Brad Karl:  Since humanity has existed, we’ve manipulated wood to create comfortable surroundings.  It’s a link to nature that is engrained in our DNA from our ancestors.  If you asked a person to describe wooden furniture, common descriptors you might hear are warm, attractive, natural, grace, beauty, and elegance.  Wood embodies a link to nature and what it means to be human.  Wood has it’s limitations, however.  Especially in demanding environments, wood furniture can be manipulated and commonly has many ligature points.  It can be difficult to clean and properly sanitize.

Q:  What challenges did you face in creating Prodigy?

Norix TruGrain Finish on Prodigy Bedroom Furniture

Brad Karl:  Real wood appearance on a polymer furniture piece is a unique challenge.  The two conventional approaches to creating the look are to apply a laminate or create a texture on the surface.  These solutions were not good enough for Norix to create the look we set out to create.  The drive to create a natural, wood-like piece led us down an entirely new path of innovation, in which we landed on a proprietary method we call TruGrain technology.  TruGrain creates the look of wood-like furniture in texture and color, including natural striations throughout the product.  This technique gives the product a realistic wood-like look, even at a close distance, and just like real wood, you’ll see differences in piece-to-piece.

Q:  Beyond appearing like home furnishings, what are some of the other benefits of Prodigy?

Brad Karl:  Prodigy has a recycled polymer construction that includes a multitude of benefits.  Facilities are continually re-inforcing the need for easy-to-clean furniture.  Prodigy is seamless and built to withstand heavy-duty cleaners, including bleach and hospital grade cleaners.  The design allows staff to confidently clean each piece to ensure it is appropriately disinfected to facility standards.  Additionally, the construction is resistant to bodily fluids and bed bugs to maintain sanitary conditions in high-traffic facilities.

Q:  Prodigy is built for long-term value, but what about its end of service?  

Brad Karl:  We’re happy to report that Prodigy both contains recycled content and is recyclable. 

Q;  Prodigy is an anti-ligature design.  Can you explain what that entails?

Brad Karl:  Anti-ligature design is a critical feature in furniture for highly-secure areas.  The design eliminates sharp edges and ligature points to mitigate self-harm in areas that cannot be monitored 24 hours-per-day.  The furniture is secured to the floor using a hidden hardware system that can only be released with a specially designed “key.”  Securing the furniture edges to the floor and along walls leaves no room for contraband as well as creating a safer area.  Removeable restraint rings are an additional option that allows for deployment only when needed.  This feature eliminates the obvious ligature point when restraint rings are not required and provide better peace-of-mind for patients.

Q:  What resources are available for those who would like to learn more about Prodigy?

Norix.com offers a wide range of resources on Prodigy, including Videos, Brochures, and Spec Pages.  Contact us directly to speak to a representative about prodigy.

Brad Karl is the Director of Marketing at Norix Furniture.  Learn more about Norix furniture at Norix.com