posted April 28, 2006
Nashville - Gov. Phil Bredesen, along with Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner (TDMHDD) Virginia Trotter Betts and Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Memphis Mental Health Institute (MMHI) facility on Thursday.
A project spearheaded by the state, the new Memphis Mental Health Institute is the result of collaboration between the State of Tennessee and the Memphis medical community, both public and private, in an effort to improve the overall quality of health, pediatric and mental health services in Shelby County.
Included in the collaboration were the State of Tennessee/Memphis Mental Health Institute, Methodist Healthcare System, the Regional Medical Center at Memphis (The MED), UT Health Science Center, and Shelby County government.
“Memphis and Shelby County are blessed with a wide range of institutions dedicated to serving the health needs of the people of West Tennessee,” said Gov. Bredesen. “Thanks to the creative thinking and collaborative approach of the folks at Methodist LeBonheur, The MED, the University of Tennessee, and at the local and state level, West Tennessee will soon benefit from a new, state-of-the-art mental health institute.”
The new Memphis Mental Health Institute facility is part of an overall expansion of health care services in the Medical District and Biotech Center of Memphis. The new MMHI, with its location adjacent to The MED, will allow easy access to critical medical care for mental health patients who need services.
It will also allow The MED to upgrade its emergency department and trauma center facilities, and allow for triage and seamless referral for mental health services.
The new facility also allows UT the opportunity for increased training, research and educational opportunities in a state-of the-art psychiatric inpatient hospital.
“We are extremely excited about the new building that will not only improve acute mental health services in Memphis and Shelby County, but also health care and professional education” stated TDMHDD Commissioner Virginia Trotter Betts. “This effort is the result of the hard work and partnership among many dedicated individuals. I am grateful to be a part of such a successful collaboration.”
Also part of the project is the expansion of LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center, which will see an increase in the number of operating rooms, an expanded emergency department and increased research space.
The new MMHI facility will be located on Court Street in the Memphis Medical District and Biotech Center on the site of the former UT Bowld and Dobbs buildings. The new acute care facility will contain 75 beds, and is anticipated to be complete in the fall of 2007.
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