TAMPA, Fla. — A new behavioral health hospital for women is under construction in Tampa.
It’s a first-of-its-kind in Florida. Administrators say what makes Mariposa Women’s Hospital different is, women patients are being treated by and cared for by women.
Female-focused treatment like this is long overdue, according to some health officials.
What You Need To Know
Mariposa Women’s Behavioral Health Hospital will be a female-focused facility
Expected to open Spring 2026
Gracepoint Wellness & Cove Behavioral Health merged to become Ibis Healthcare
Heroes for Hope Gala February 7th to help raise awareness and funds to support mental health treatment
“That’s a very big accomplishment. But also I can’t believe it’s 2026 that we’re seeing something of its kind when women have had these needs for many decades, so as a clinician it’s really inspiring to see this in my lifetime and be part of it,” said Cassandra Castro with Ibis Healthcare.
Ibis Healthcare is opening Mariposa Women’s Hospital, administrators say they will specialize in treating: anxiety, depression, PTSD and emotional and substance abuse challenges, while also focusing on domestic violence and postpartum depression.
“We will have groups, individual therapy, we’ll have also a team of psychiatric providers that will provide that medication management support , there’s a team of nurses as well that will be kind of helping support the medical side of things.,” said Castro.
Development of the female-focused facility comes at a time when Gracepoint Wellness and Cove Behavioral Health have merged to become Ibis Healthcare.
Karen McGinnis Vaughn agrees this approach to will benefit women’s care. She sought treatment herself about a decade ago.
“I had battled substance abuse and addiction for over two decades,” said McGinnis Vaughn.
“It eventually will take you down a path that will lead you to homelessness, which is what I encountered loss of custody of my son, twice before he was two years old because I was an unfit mother. I have full custody of him today,” said Karen.
Karen’s recovery included residential and outpatient treatment through Gracepoint and Cove. She now works in behavioral health, and serves as a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist. As an advocate for behavioral health, Karen says she is encouraged to know more resources are becoming available to women on a similar journey.
“I was not able to share openly in a group setting when there were other men in the room, so to have an all-woman’s program, women recover differently and vice versa,” said Karen.
Mariposa Women’s Hospital is expected to open to women in the spring of 2026.
“Being able to create a very safe space that is specific to them where they build community, be around other people that have experienced other things is really going to help increase their well-being over time,” said Castro.
A Heroes for Hope Gala February 7th will help raise awareness and funds to support mental health treatment.