(Holyoke, MA) Baystate Health and Kindred Behavioral Health, a division of LifePoint Health, broke ground on Tuesday, March 8, in Holyoke on their new state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital being built to meet the community’s increased need for specialized behavioral health service and the dire shortage of beds in the region.
The $72 million project is estimated to take 16 months to complete with an expected opening in August 2023. The 150-bed freestanding facility, Baystate Behavioral Health Hospital, will be at 45 Lower Westfield Road and will feature 120 semi-private rooms and 30 private rooms for the state Department of Mental Health.
The new hospital will increase patient access to Baystate Health’s specialty inpatient behavioral healthcare for adults, including geriatric patients, and adolescents and children by more than 50 percent and will care for the area’s most vulnerable population.
“As a psychiatrist I have firsthand knowledge of the suffering and tragedy associated with people whose mental health needs are not met,” Dr. Barry Sarvet, Chair of Psychiatry at Baystate Health Dr. Barry Sarvet said. “Upon its completion, Baystate Behavioral Health Hospital will not only improve access to care, but also offer a beautiful environment of care and new clinical programs for people in need of intensive mental health services, where they can feel safe, comfortable, and engaged in healing relationships with members of their care team.”
“Mental health is an integral part of the overall health and well-being of the communities we serve,” President and CEO of Baystate Health Dr. Mark Keroack said.
The 23,230-square-foot, four-story facility is designed specifically for behavioral health services to foster a better healing environment for patients and will feature a wide range of programs to meet patients’ varying treatment needs. The hospital will feature large activity and therapy rooms, a gym for therapy services, multiple courtyards and outdoor recreation spaces where patients can interact with each other and their family members.
Until the new hospital is completed, Baystate will continue to operate its inpatient behavioral health units at its three community hospitals, including Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield. Emergency care services will continue to be provided at all Baystate Health hospitals, and the treatment of behavioral health patients with medically complex conditions will continue at Baystate Medical Center in its Adult Psychiatric Treatment Unit.