WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich.– Henry Ford Health, one of the nation’s premier academic and integrated health systems, and Acadia Healthcare, the nation’s largest stand-alone behavioral healthcare company, broke ground today on a state-of-the-art behavioral health treatment and teaching hospital.
This new facility will allow Henry Ford Health to deliver innovative care, increase resources and address the growing need for accessible, high-quality behavioral health services in Metro Detroit and beyond. While plans for the hospital were underway before COVID-19, the pandemic has only exacerbated the nation’s mental health crisis.
“The need for comprehensive, full-spectrum behavioral health care is more important—and evident—than ever,” said Bob Riney, President and CEO of Henry Ford Health. “As a trusted healthcare provider in Michigan for more than a century, we are proud and encouraged to break ground on our new behavioral health hospital, which will help us provide the very best care to those who need healing.”
More than 50 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some time in their lives, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About one in five adults in the U.S. live with mental illness, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says the COVID-19 pandemic increased the prevalence of depression or anxiety worldwide by 25 percent. And last week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced a draft recommendation that all adults under the age of 65 should be screened for anxiety.
The new hospital will be a two-story facility, spanning approximately 120,000 square feet on Henry Ford Health’s West Bloomfield campus, making it a natural extension of the services the health system already provides. While the hospital will initially provide 184 inpatient beds, it will have a 192-bed capacity and the ability to expand further to meet increasing need. Henry Ford Health will provide inpatient psychiatric services for adults, seniors, adolescents and children. The new facility will be known as “Henry Ford Behavioral Health Hospital.”
“This truly is a joint venture, not just with Henry Ford, but also with our community stakeholders, city and county leaders, and the strong team of physicians, nurses, technicians and support staff who will care for patients,” said Chris Hunter, CEO of Acadia Healthcare. “This hospital is a public pledge that we are here to work alongside all whose goal is to ease people’s pain and promote healing.”
The hospital will also serve as a destination academic site, educating the next generation of behavioral healthcare providers including psychiatry residents, medical students and nurses.
“This will help address the dire need for mental healthcare providers both locally and nationally,” Cathrine B. Frank, M.D., Chair, Henry Ford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services. “One estimate shows our country will need up to 31,000 more psychiatrists to meet demand in the coming years. Unfortunately, nearly 40 percent of people in Michigan do not get treatment for their mental illnesses.”
As part of this development, Henry Ford will eventually consolidate inpatient services from two facilities: Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital and the inpatient psychiatric units at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital – Mt. Clemens. Those facilities are aging and no longer meet the high standard Henry Ford has set when providing a state-of-the-art healing facility.
“The statistics around mental illness in our community, our state and our country reveal more needs to be done,” said Denise Brooks-Williams, Senior Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, Market Operations. “Through opening this new inpatient facility, our intent is to provide a safe, modern care environment for our patients, team members, and those committed to learning about and providing mental healthcare.”
Acadia Healthcare, which will operate the hospital, is partnering with Henry Ford Health to develop innovative care delivery models to better integrate physical and mental health services. In addition to providing the most up-to-date resources and environment for mental health healing, the hospital will also be built to achieve LEED certification for environmental sustainability.
