Patient support apparatus having a skirt barrier

A patient support apparatus for use in treating patients with behavioral health indicia, the patient support apparatus comprising:

• a base including a base frame and supporting a plurality of wheels arranged for movement along a floor surface;
• a brake assembly supported by the base and operatively attached to one or more of the plurality of wheels, the brake assembly including a shaft pivotably coupled to the base frame and supporting a brake pedal arranged for user engagement between:
• a braked state to inhibit movement of the base along the floor surface, and
• an unbraked state to permit movement of the base along the floor surface;
• a litter for supporting a patient;
• a lift mechanism interposed between the litter and the base to move the litter relative to the base between a lowered position and a raised position;
• and
• a skirt barrier having a bottom edge defining a periphery, with a slot defined extending vertically from the bottom edge, the skirt barrier being operatively attached to the litter for concurrent movement with the litter between:
• an exposed configuration corresponding to the raised position and defined with the bottom edge spaced vertically above the base, and
• a shield configuration corresponding to the lowered position and defined with the bottom edge arranged adjacent to the floor surface and with the periphery extending around the base to at least partially limit external access to the base and at least a portion of the brake assembly, with the slot arranged to receive the shaft of the brake assembly between the base frame and the brake pedal to enable user engagement with the brake pedal outside of the skirt barrier in the shield configuration.