SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau and Universal Health Services (UHS) have officially signed into a joint-venture partnership for the establishment of a new behavioral health facility.
The project was initially announced in May of last year out of a growing need for advanced behavioral health services accessible to the southeast Missouri area.
At a press conference on Thursday, SoutheastHEALTH President and CEO Ken Bateman articulated this issue, claiming behavioral health is at the forefront of societal concerns across the nation.
“Nearly 1 in 10 children between the ages of 12 and 17 in Missouri experienced a depressive episode during the previous year,” said Bateman.
He said the wait time to see a psychiatrist in Missouri is 10-30 days for adults, and up to 6 months for children and teenagers. And, with limited access to behavioral health services in the area, Bateman said patients in crisis often resort to a visit to the emergency room.
“This is a challenge to our care team’s ability to provide appropriate treatment and stabilization, post-discharge placement, and patient transport,” said Bateman.
Between 2008 and 2017, emergency department utilization in Missouri for mental health-related disorders skyrocketed. For Medicaid managed care, it rose 212%, and for Medicaid fee-for-service, 30%. For all other payers combined, utilization rose 42%.
UHS will contribute by serving as the the majority owner of the facility, which will be located on Southeast’s west campus, next to I-55 at exit 95.
The 102-bed hospital will cost nearly $33 million, and house four units: one geriatric, two adult, and one adolescent. It will offer services such as group and individual therapy, art and music therapy, fitness therapy, yoga, meditation, and many more types of therapy. Outpatient services will include child, adolescent and family counseling, and treatment for depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health issues.
The venture is estimated to create 429 jobs related to operations including over 180 clinicians, mental health technicians, and support staff, and will generate over $9.5 million in total income paid to employees. SoutheastHEALTH also estimates $38.9 million to be contributed to the Gross Area Product (GAP) of the local economy.
Construction will begin this summer, and an official opening should take place in fall of 2020.