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The courtyard of the Texas Behavioral Health Center, a new psychiatric hospital in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A highly anticipated state psychiatric hospital is opening in Dallas, and elected officials and hospital leaders alike hope the new facility will help to ease chronic bed shortages across the state.<\/p>\n
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The hospital, called the Texas Behavioral Health Center, was built with $384 million in state funding plus another $261 million provided by Dallas-based Children\u2019s Health.<\/p>\n
UT Southwestern Medical Center is operating the facility, which is near Harry Hines Boulevard and Medical District Drive.<\/p>\n
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The Texas Behavioral Health Center is a 292-bed facility, according to the state Health and Human Services Commission, with room for up to 200 adult patients and 92 youth patients. The first adult patients are expected at the end of June. There\u2019s not yet a clear timeframe for the first pediatric patients, but hospital leaders estimated December.<\/p>\n
The Dallas hospital is the first state psychiatric hospital in the Metroplex. The next-closest state hospital is in Terrell. Many patients arrive at state hospitals from the justice system, after being deemed incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity. The Dallas facility also has beds for civil patients.<\/p>\n
The Texas Behavioral Health Center\u2019s construction and opening is part of a broader state investment<\/a> in mental health services. The state Legislature has invested $2.5 billion in the state hospital system since 2017, according to Texas Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) shakes hands with Dr. Daniel Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern Medical Center, after speaking during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Texas Behavioral Health Center, a new psychiatric hospital in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n At a Tuesday afternoon ribbon cutting event, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the hospital is the result of bipartisanship at the state level. Patrick placed the hospital opening in the context of other state efforts, including the recent creation of a dementia research institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe have invested your tax dollars into the health of Texas,\u201d Patrick said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe state of Texas has to help those who need help, whether it\u2019s with Alzheimer\u2019s or cancer or heart disease or mental illness.\u201d<\/p>\n A strained system<\/p>\n State hospitals aim to provide mental health services to people who are in crisis. The facilities are designed to stabilize patients so they can be safely referred to outpatient services.<\/p>\n Dr. Kala Bailey, interim chief medical officer at the Texas Behavioral Health Center, talks to the guests at the in-patient unit during a tour of the new psychiatric hospital on June 16 in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n The new Dallas hospital \u2014 along with other renovation and construction projects across the state \u2014 aim to relieve chronic shortages for psychiatric inpatient beds. The bed shortage has meant that people with urgent mental health needs struggle to access care, and often end up in emergency rooms or backed up in jails.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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