Prisma Health has unveiled plans to build a $138 million inpatient behavioral health hospital in Upstate South Carolina.
The three-story hospital will address the rising need for behavioral health services in the Upstate. According to Prisma Health, the number of patients admitted for psychiatrist treatment has steadily increased in the region over the past six years.
A statewide need for 211 additional inpatient behavioral health beds was also identified in the recent State Health Plan. Gov. Henry McMaster said the inpatient and outpatient services in South Carolina are “woefully insufficient” in supporting patients.
“This project is an important step forward in addressing the statewide need for an expansion of behavioral health services whenever and wherever possible,” McMaster said.
The new 132,430-square-foot facility will be built on 46 acres at the corner of U.S. Highway 123 and S.C. Highway 153 in Pickens County. It will be licensed for 112 inpatient beds. Each patient care unit will include private and semi-private rooms.
The South Carolina General Assembly will appropriate $100 million to the state Department of Health and Human Services to support the new hospital. Mark O’Halla, president and CEO of Prisma Health, said the project is only possible due to the state’s investment.
“This project is a powerful example of what we can accomplish through public-private partnerships and is a significant and much-needed step forward for our communities and state,” O’Halla said.
Expanding care
The new behavioral health hospital will replace Prisma Health’s 65-bed Marshall I. Pickens Psychiatric Hospital in Greenville.
Built in 1969, it is the only Upstate hospital that admits patients aged 12 and younger. It serves around 1,500 patients per year. Due to the hospital’s limited capacity, approximately 1,200 patients in need of inpatient psychiatric care must be transported to a facility outside the Upstate each year.
The new hospital will double Prisma’s inpatient capacity with 40 beds for children and 72 beds for adults. Specialized care will be provided for children, adolescents, adults, older adults and those who require more intensive care.
Karen Lommel, the Robert A. Jolley Jr. Endowed Chair of Psychiatry and Community Health for Prisma Health in the Upstate, said patients experiencing a mental health crisis deserve expert, compassionate care in a healing, nurturing environment.
“Our new hospital will significantly increase access to this vitally needed care but will also keep families closer to home and their family-friend networks which can itself help in recovery,” Lommel said.
Prisma Health is currently completing architectural and construction documents for the new facility. The health care system has also applied for a Certificate of Need from the state, a requirement to commence construction. If approved, site work is expected to begin in the spring of 2025. Construction is estimated to take around two years to complete.
In addition to the new hospital, Prisma plans to spend $7 million on facility projects for the Greenville Memorial Campus associated with behavioral health services. This includes expanding intensive outpatient programs offered at the site.
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