A rezoning hearing is set July 11 on the six-acre tract where Erlanger Health Center is planning to build a $25 million Behavioral Health Hospital.
The hearing will be at 1 p.m. at the County Courthouse on the site that is currently vacant at the corner of Holtzclaw Avenue and Citico Avenue.
Erlanger earlier announced plans to apply for a Certificate of Need (CON) to establish a new 88-bed facility with 72,000 square feet.
Erlanger intends to partner with Nashville-based Acadia Healthcare, a for-profit corporation that operates 585 behavioral health centers worldwide.
Officials said, "In applying for the CON, Erlanger is responding to a significant unmet need for expanded behavioral health services in our region. This new facility will help meet the clearly identifiable, growing behavioral health needs of adults, children, adolescents, and veterans throughout our region."
The new behavioral health hospital will provide in excess of 200 new jobs in the community and will operate as a for-profit entity.
Erlanger President & CEO Kevin M. Spiegel said he was "extremely proud to be part of a health system that is addressing one of the most important healthcare issues in our region. Providing these services is directly aligned with our vision to address population health, provide access to high quality care and address the unmet needs in our community and with our veterans.”
Dr. Jennie Mahaffey, chief of Behavioral Health Medicine at Erlanger, said, “We recognize that many of our patients with mental health issues often seek care in our emergency rooms as a last resort due largely to the limited number of mental health services in our community. This new facility is a much needed option for these patients needing specialized inpatient care.”A recent national survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration noted that 9.8 million adults had serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression that interferes with a major life activity. The survey also reported about one in five adults in the United States experiences mental illness in a given year, and one in five children experience a severe mental disorder. Mental health conditions that remain untreated can lead to dropping out of school, substance abuse, incarceration, unemployment, homelessness and suicide."