Psych hospital partnership announced for Cape Girardeau

SoutheastHEALTH and Universal Health Services are entering into a partnership to build a behavioral health hospital in Cape Girardeau, officials announced Thursday.

"With the limited access to behavioral health providers in Southeast's service area, patients in crisis commonly come to the emergency departments of acute-care hospitals, which challenges the care team's ability to provide appropriate treatment and stabilization, post-discharge placement, and patient transportation," said SoutheastHEALTH President and CEO Ken Bateman at a news conference Thursday.

"Southeast and UHS intend to provide specialized care for patients, along with investing in medical residencies, clinical training and the latest in telehealth technology to bridge the gap in access," Bateman said.

A new, free-standing 102-bed behavioral health hospital will be constructed -- a $33 million, state-of-the-art facility that will span more than 68,000 square feet and will significantly improve access to care for behavioral health programs and services, Bateman said.

The facility will employ more than 180 clinicians, support staff and technicians, Shauna Hoffman, vice president of marketing for SoutheastHEALTH, said during the news conference.

Bateman said the facility will provide a full spectrum of care, from inpatient services to access to the outpatient behavioral health clinic after discharge.

Shelah Adams, national director of behavioral health integration with UHS, said the company is pleased to collaborate with SoutheastHEALTH to provide critical services in an underserved region.

Since UHS operates more than 250 behavioral health facilities in 37 states, Adams said, the company can provide quality benchmarking and share best practices across the board.

Ron Escarda, UHS group director of the Pacific Northwest who will be involved with the new facility's startup, said, "We believe recovery is possible for every person in our care."

Construction will begin this summer on the facility, to be located on Southeast's west campus, across from the existing Cancer Center on Mount Auburn Road, adjacent to Interstate 55 at exit 95.

After the news conference, Hoffman said the city's recent approval of the new plat for the proposed site was the first step, and plans are "progressing well."

According to Bateman, nearly one in 10 children between the ages of 12 and 17 in Missouri experienced a depressive episode in 2017. Despite the need for mental health services among a large portion of the population, the average wait time to see a psychiatrist is 10 to 30 days for adults in Missouri and up to six months for children and teens. In the state of Missouri from 2008 through 2017, emergency department utilization for mental health-related disorders increased 212 percent for Medicaid-managed care and 30 percent for Medicaid fee-for-service care. The increase for all other payers combined was 42 percent.

The new facility will feature a full continuum of inpatient services, including a geriatric unit, two adult care units, and a child and adolescent unit, Bateman said.

Plans to establish the new facility were approved unanimously by a state board in May 2018.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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