GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Mercy Health and Universal Health Services have been tentatively approved to start building a new inpatient behavioral health hospital with 60 adult inpatient beds.
The proposed facility will include space for developing 24 additional inpatient beds for geriatric psychiatric patients, plus space for future expansion, according to a news release Wednesday.
While the Certificate of Need review was pending, the two systems began exploring a potential joint venture to build the new inpatient psychiatric hospital, with capacity for up to 96 beds, including the geriatric psychiatric unit, partial hospitalization services and crisis management services.
It’ll be built near the Mercy Health Southwest Campus in Kent County and is expected to address the growing unmet need for accessible, high-quality behavioral health services in West Michigan.
Once Havenwyck Hospital – an affiliate of Universal Health Services – receives a Certificate of Need final decision approving the project, the health organizations expect to finalize the agreement over the next few months.
“The need is here and growing,” said Matthew Biersack, MD, interim president and chief medical officer of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s. “The shortage of mental health resources is a national issue. Approval of the CON applications is a positive step forward on our journey to expand access and options serving more patients in Kent County and surrounding communities.”
Mercy Health Saint Mary’s provides behavioral health services through its inpatient unit, outpatient and ambulatory care sites and tele-psychiatry programs.
Officials say demand for services has increased in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the need for inpatient psychiatric capacity for all populations in the region.
Universal Health Services has five behavioral health facilities in Michigan: Cedar Creek Hospital, Forest View Hospital, Foundations Detroit, Havenwyck Hospital and Skywood Recovery.
