ECU Health holds ribbon cutting for new Behavioral Health Hospital

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Eastern Carolinians suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions will soon have a place to go for help that’s more state-of-the-art than before.

The new, roughly $85 million Behavioral Health Hospital built by ECU Health and Acadia Healthcare had its ribbon cutting on Monday and is set to open on September 24th.

“This is the culmination of years of work and advocacy,” said ECU Health Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine Chair Michael Lang. “I’m thrilled to see it and I can’t wait to start getting patients in here and start doing what we need to be doing, taking care of our people.”

Officials say the new facility will be a step up from its current one.

The new Behavioral Health Hospital has more than 140 beds, while the current facility has around 50.

While mental health has gained significant attention and seen an increase in resources over the years, ECU student Carol Chandler says she struggles with it, and says this is exactly what Greenville needs.

“It’s probably the most important thing in my life,” she explained. “For your mental health to be in check and to have a good resource to go to, to have people to talk to, it’s probably the number one thing.”

Hospital officials say it will have programs for adults, seniors, and children facing acute mental health conditions and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Hospital CEO, Tyler Davis, says the programs are about helping patients heal on a deeper level.

“The space is centered around care of the patient,” Davis added. “We’re encouraging patients to understand their illness, to understand their trauma they’ve experienced and be able to start to heal the cause for that as opposed to just going through the motions of healing the symptoms.”

The hospital will also serve as a training site for students and residents through partnerships with ECU’s Brody School of Medicine, according to staff.