Southern Hills Hospital to add $26M psychiatric facility

Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center plans to expand its psychiatric services with the addition of a $26 million behavioral health center to its main structure, the hospital announced Thursday.

The one-story, 80-bed center, which will be connected to the main hospital building at 9300 W. Sunset Road, is scheduled to begin construction this year.

It is expected to open next year to “ease the chronic lack of space and add services to treat adolescents (ages 13 to 17) through senior patients, age 55 and over,” according to a hospital statement.

The facility will serve patients with state-funded Medicaid, Medicare and all private insurance, according to the statement.

Southern Hills CEO Adam Rudd said the hospital’s affiliated facilities in the Sunrise Health System — MountainView Hospital and Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center — have noticed a need for expanded psychiatric services in the valley over the past three to four years.

Southern Hills entered the conversation about a year ago as a potential site for the health center.

“We are the hospital that has the opportunity because we own quite a bit of land around us,” he said.

The hospital owns about 20 acres in the area, according to a spokeswoman.

About 120 staff members will work at the center, 92 of which will be new hires.

Clark County Commissioner Susan Brager, who represents the district in which the hospital is located, said in the statement that she believes the addition will meet a need in the county.

“The lack of Medicaid psych beds has led to overcrowded emergency rooms in our hospitals and delayed treatment for those in dire need,” Brager said.

Rudd said the expansion won’t disturb services at the hospital, which currently has 180 beds.

The 48,000-square-foot center will offer inpatient care as well as some outpatient services, and an existing 14-bed behavioral health services unit in the hospital will be moved to the new area.

The center will have its own entrance and will be located near the emergency room, Rudd said.

Southern Hills is also in the midst of a slight expansion of the emergency room to build a triage area, and in March, the hospital announced the opening of a new 46-bed orthopedic/spine unit.

Contact Pashtana Usufzy at pusufzy@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow her on Twitter: @pashtana_u