Many of the new facilities will also be designed to support law enforcement needs. Many individuals with behavioral issues that should be addressed through health care simply land in jails instead. Current jails and detention facilities are not equipped to provide support or health care services. The result has been tragic, and the hope throughout the country is that new facilities will be able to provide care and rehabilitation for thousands of individuals in need of attention. Examples of upcoming projects follow, and more similar upcoming opportunities can be found in almost every state.
City officials in Kansas, Missouri, have announced plans for a $300 million project to construct a new psychiatric hospital that will provide services for the western half of the state. It will relieve stress on the 20-year-old Center for Behavioral Health facility that currently provides services. The need for additional behavioral health services has been so lacking that many inmates have had to remain in jail rather than get support. No timeline has been announced for the contracting process.
A new jail and health facility will be constructed in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. The project has a projected cost of $260 million. The selection of a location is ongoing with numerous sites under consideration. County Commissioners are expected to finalize a location decision this fall. The new facility, which is currently in the design phase, will have space for medical and mental health care services, in-person visitations, diversion programs, classrooms for education and job training programs, and on-site courtrooms. Contracting opportunities are slated for 2024.
Two new mental health facility projects will be launched in Sacramento County, California. The cumulative cost projection has been pegged at somewhere between $22.8 million and $23.5 million. A new crisis stabilization and psychiatric health facility for youth is planned, and a county-owned facility in the Rosemont area will be renovated to be used as an overnight psychiatric health facility. The county will also build an adult rehabilitation facility on some vacant, county-owned land. This new facility will increase the capacity by an additional 64 beds. It will be designed to provide support and services for adults exiting acute mental health care facilities.
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An $81 million project will deliver new mental health offices for the Santa Rita jail in the city of Dublin, California. The objective will be to increase the available support related to mental health care for inmates. Currently, the project is in the design phase. It will include clinical treatment rooms, classrooms, and space for mental illness services. Behavioral health care staff will have offices on the second floor, and a small section of the new facility will be structured for community-based organizational staff. Contracting will begin as soon as the design phase is completed.
A new regional behavioral health care center will be built in Texas at a location between the cities of Odessa and Midland. The projected cost is $40 million. When completed, the new facility will deliver 100 new beds for individuals to receive treatment. Currently, the project is in the design stage with completion expected by late 2025. The Texas Facilities Commission, a state agency, has the responsibility for oversight. The new facility will be located near The University of Texas Permian Basin’s campus.
A $228 million project to construct a mental health intake facility will be launched in Macomb County, Michigan, soon. Funding was approved in June of this year. The new facility will be attached as an extension of the jail, and the project will also include some renovations and upgrades to the jail. The new building will be designed to provide mental health assessments and services for inmates. It will provide capacity for 210 beds and deliver space for services. Construction will begin as soon as the design phase is completed, but the effort is expected to take several years to complete.
Another new inpatient mental health facility in Texas received $40 million in funding from the 88th Texas Legislative Session. The funding comes from a $2.2 billion bill that was passed to address mental health needs statewide. The new 60-bed facility, which will be located in Victoria County, will be designed to provide 30 beds for civil use and 30 more for forensic use to support law enforcement.
Other upcoming projects will be similar in nature, and information can be obtained at the state and local levels of government. Every state has a Health and Human Services agency with an Office of Information. Local projects will likely be overseen by either the city or county. Local governmental entities also have a public information office, and requests for information about upcoming health care projects should be available upon request.
Mary Scott Nabers is CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (www.spartnerships.com) and the author of Inside the Infrastructure Revolution – A Roadmap for Rebuilding America.
